Bangladesh trains Cox’s Bazar students to seek help against violence
Three-day program taught 750 students how to report violence and abuse, access emergency helplines and seek legal and protection services
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Hundreds of schoolchildren in Bangladesh’s disaster-prone coastal district of Cox’s Bazar have received training on how to seek help in cases of violence, abuse and other emergencies, as part of an effort to close information gaps that can leave vulnerable adolescents without access to protection.
The three-day campaign, which concluded Tuesday, reached 750 students at three schools and taught them about their legal rights, child protection, prevention of gender-based violence and how to access government and nongovernment support services.
The program was conducted by JAAGO Foundation Trust with technical and financial support from UNICEF under its Shopner Sharothi Seashore Girls Project, an initiative aimed at expanding education, life skills and protection services for adolescent girls in Bangladesh’s coastal communities.
Organizers said many young people in coastal areas are unaware of where to turn when they experience violence or other problems, even when government and nongovernment services are available.
The sessions were therefore designed to go beyond simply telling students that support exists. Students were taught how to identify appropriate services, follow referral pathways and contact authorities when they or others need assistance.
Among the services explained were Bangladesh’s 999 national emergency number, the 109 helpline for violence against women and children and the 1098 child helpline.
Students were also introduced to a service directory designed to connect young people with assistance related to health, education, employment, vocational training and legal protection at both local and national levels.
The campaign was held at Abul Kasem High School, Kurulia High School and Khurushkul High School in Cox’s Bazar and included discussions on safeguarding and youth-friendly services alongside quizzes, question-and-answer sessions and activities focused on child protection.
Amjad Hossain, project manager of the Shopner Sharothi Seashore Girls Project, said the initiative would ultimately be useful only if young people were able to apply the information when they needed assistance in their everyday lives.
Asfika Islam, a 10th-grade student who participated in the program, said many students previously did not know where to seek help when confronted with a problem.
She said the sessions helped her better understand available helplines, services and rights and left her more confident about seeking assistance or directing others toward appropriate support.
Organizers said improving that knowledge is particularly important because adolescents who do not know how to navigate available protection systems can remain cut off from assistance even when services formally exist.
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