Moynul Haque Mridha, Rajbari

An advocacy meeting was held in Rajbari to ensure birth registration of underprivileged children and their mothers of Daulatdia Purvapara (Jaunpalli) of Goland Upazila on Saturday morning.

The meeting was held at the head office of KKS under the project "Enhancing Protection of Child Sex Trafficking Survivors in Bangladesh" implemented by Karmajeevi Kalyan Sanstha (KKS) and with the financial and technical support of The Freedom Fund.

In the meeting, it was decided to waive the birth registration fee and delay fee for children, to set up mobile birth registration units for children and mothers in Daulatdia Purvapara and to provide alternative methods for those children and mothers who do not have correct information regarding birth registration.

Joint Secretary of the Local Government Division and Deputy Registrar General (Additional Duties) Dr. Abu Nasr Mohammad Abdullah was present as chief guest.

Gwaland Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nashidur Rahman presided over the meeting.

Khaleda Akhtar Shanta, Country Representative of The Freedom Fund, Sumna Chowdhury, Program Advisor, Pangsha and Kalukhali UDF Ataur Rahman, UDF Md. Naziur Rahman, Daulatdia Union Parishad administrative officer. Menamul Hasan Mintu, Journalist Sheikh Rajeev, KKS Assistant Executive Director Fakir Jahidul Islam Rumon, journalists from various electronic and print media, mothers and children of Daulatdia Purvapara and other levels of KKS officials were present.

In the meeting, a mother of the sex village said that there was no information about her child. No one helped me because I could not give the information about my baby's father.

In his speech, the joint secretary said that the birth should be registered on the basis of the information given by the mother. He also said, from the discussion, I came to know that 113 mothers and 9 children have no birth registration information. I am instructing the Secretary of Daulatdia Union Parishad to confirm the birth registration of 213 mothers and 9 children sent by KKS Katrik within the next 2/3 months with the help of Goland Upazila Nirbahi Officer. He also said that the biggest complication of our birth registration is the Rohingya population. Everyone should keep in mind that no Rohingya population should come into it. If a mother cannot provide the correct father's information, the birth must be registered under the name given by the mother.

Deputy Director of Rajbari District Social Services Office Md. Rubaiyat. Ferdous said, no child should be left out of birth registration. He also mentioned various government social security services. He said that through this meeting he was informed about how to solve the problem of birth registration of Brothel and Bede communities. He also said that there is no rule for children above the age of four to stay in the sex center and told the joint secretary whether any children can be kept in the suburbs of Daulatdia.

The Executive Director of Karmajeevi Kalyan Sanstha (KKS), veteran freedom fighter Fakir Abdul Jabbar said, "I am very happy today that I can confirm the birth registration of these children. For this, on behalf of KKS, thanks to everyone present including the joint secretary, and I think that on the basis of everyone's collective opinion in the meeting, the obstacles in obtaining birth registration certificates and national identity cards for children and their mothers will be removed.