Staff Correspondent

CSID organized a meeting with the National Executive Committee on Disability on Wednesday.

The Committee has been formed for protecting the rights of people with disabilities as per ‘The Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013’.

A total of 14 ministry representatives attended the meeting. OPDs and CSOs representatives also attended.

The main issues of the discussion were how to include the protection of children with disabilities in the discussion point in the National Executive and Other Committee of the government.

As per article 17 of No. 39 law of the Act, five committees such as National Coordination Committee, National Executive Committee, District Committee, Upazila Committee, and Town Committee were formed to protect the rights of people with disabilities. CSID requested to include the issue of the protection of children with disabilities into the committee meeting.

While presenting the keynote paper, Iftekhar Ahmed, Director of Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), a non-government organization, requested the government representative to include protection of children with disabilities as a discussion agenda.

He shared the views while speaking at an opinion exchange meeting titled ‘Protecting the rights of children with disabilities’ at CIRDAP auditorium in the capital today (Wednesday).

With the support of UNICEF, CSID organized the event to press the issue of inclusive protection of children with disabilities.

Khandaker Jahurul Alam, Executive Director of CSID, while presiding over the meeting, observed that children with disabilities are vulnerable to mental, physical and sexual harassment because of their disadvantaged condition.

He requested all government officials to include the issue of children with disabilities as an agenda for discussion during the disability rights and protection committee meeting.

Iqbal Hossain, joint secretary of Ministry of Youths and Sports, attended as the chief guest, while Mahmudullah, additional director of Social Services Department, was present as the special guest at the event. In their speeches, both the chief and the special guests agreed to work on the protection of children with disabilities.

Officials from different government ministries, departments, and representatives of different NGOs, a number of people with disabilities also attended the meeting.