Community Based Interventions

Background: Since inception, BNWLA has been working with the children to ensure their rights where the rights are violated. As legal service provider, Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association (BNWLA) has the opportunity to work against all kinds of violence against children’s lives. BNWLA provides supports to children who are the victims of rape, sexual abuse, exploitation, trafficking, family violence like dowry, child marriage, physical torture, acid violence, domestic violence, children conflict with law, street child sex workers, and minor girls rescued from brothels. BNWLA provides legal protection as well as shelter, educational, vocational, cultural, medical, psychosocial counseling, rehabilitation and reintegration supports (i.e. job placement, marriage, income generating seed money and etc) to the victimized mentioned children if they face any problem.

Through the integration program, the organization had learned that the victimized children are neglected in the family & community and are stigmatized by the community people. Which create an unbearable situation sometimes for the integrated children . As a result children are unable to cope themselves in the society and further may fall in trouble situation. Moreover, due to absence of community based child protection mechanism, care and the knowledge level of community people on protection and prevention issues are not satisfactory. From this learning BNWLA had planned to develop a Model of `Child friendly community’ at the 3 Union for ensuring the protection of children and to prevent children from all forms of violence, abuse and sexual harassment at family & community level in last phase.

As BNWLA is working with community since long years, it has been proved that the joint endeavours of community members and development workers could build strong platform, from where issues related to child rights violation could be addressed & defended successfully. Following this, BNWLA had planned to follow community-based prevention & protection approach at 6 unions under 3 districts of Bangladesh under the project `Protection of Rights of Children-PRC’ with assistance of Save the Children, aiming following
objectives:

· To create & activate community based local safety net for high-risk groups as well as victims of different forms of violence.
· To eliminate child rights violations from its roots.
· To create child friendly atmosphere in a family as well as in the society.
· To set as an example of good practice of community-based interventions in Bangladesh.
· To replicate the approach in different parts of Bangladesh so that CR violation scenario can be improved.

.Implementation strategies are as follows:

*Strengthening child protection Structure at Community level
*Developing child friendly legal & information centre at community level.
*Establishing a network among G.O/N.G.O, Local Govt. Children groups & youth groups, CCC, educational institutions and civil society members at community level.
*Empowering & capacitating the community people.
*Establishing children & youth network with aim to increase monitoring on CR violation issues at community.
*Establishing community care committees for increasing care service to the vulnerable of children at the community.
*Functioning the local Govt. committees relating to women & children.
*Strengthening the referral service at the community level in regards of child protection issues.
.Strengthening child protection Structure at Community level.