Over 1,200 Child Protection Community Hubs (CPCHs) are operating all over Bangladesh, an Unicef Bangladesh official has said.

Elisa Calpona, child protection manager and responsible for the prevention of harmful practices in Unicef Bangladesh said: “In February 2021 the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Unicef has embarked on a viable and sustainability and scalability strategy to implement a VACW prevention program directly by MoWCA. Currently, over 1,200 Child Protection Community Hubs (CPCHs) are operating all over Bangladesh with more than 16 million children and caregivers reached by this program.” 

A round table discussion occurred at Bangladesh Shishu Academy to present key findings of a costing exercise conducted by SANEM, a research agency, commissioned by Unicef and the MoWCA with support from the European Union, reads a press release.

Along with other participants, Rowsan Ara Begum, additional secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs was present as the chief guest and as a special guest Anjir Liton, the director general of Bangladesh Shishu Academy was also present.

This dissemination session was chaired by SM Latif, project director (joint secretary) of APC, Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, research director (SANEM) presented the findings in this dissemination session.

To stop and respond to harmful practices and violence against children and women, Unicef is trying to establish a comprehensive national child protection system up to the village level. 

To make it practical Unicef along with MoWCA initiated the costing exercise with the support of the research agency SANEM, said Raihanul Hoque, child protection officer and the ministry's focal point, Unicef Bangladesh.