Changing the definition of a child

There is a little girl in Bangladesh named Zumur. She is only 12 years old and has already suffered exploitation and abuse at the hands of her employer. She ran away and became one of the country’s countless street children, but her life changed the day that the police brought her to a local drop-in centre. Today Zumur is learning to read, write and even dance. With the help of a social worker, she will soon return to her family, begin school and get back to her childhood.

No place to go

Drop-in centres are part of the five-year, Telenor-funded UNICEF initiative in Bangladesh that aims to empower children, teach them their rights and break a vicious cycle of poverty. The streets of Dhaka are filled with children who have no place to go. They are overworked, underpaid and under-valued. Together, Telenor and UNICEF decided to help, and they quickly learned that their most daunting task of all was to change the nation’s definition of a child.

“Our program has been running in Bangladesh for one year now, and in this time we have seen a lot of things happen. So many children have been picked up off the streets and recruited to the drop-in centres or youth clubs where they come in contact with social workers. We have trained social workers to teach the children their rights, help them understand the importance of attending school and eventually return them to their families,” said UNICEF Norway Executive Director Kjersti Fløgstad.

How it all started

Telenor approached UNICEF with the ambitious goal of addressing the child labour issue on a nationwide level. They were convinced that in addition to helping individual children, part of this initiative should be geared towards changing the national mindset. UNICEF Bangladesh was responsible for getting this project established, and they proved to be well versed in their knowledge of local issues, government and partners.

“On a very personal level, this program reaches out to individual children to help them create a better life. But it’s also a system-influencing project, and we’ve set out to change people’s mindsets about how children should be treated,” said Fløgstad.

Changing a national mindset

In order to change a national mindset, Telenor and UNICEF are focusing on three key areas in their campaign to help children in Bangladesh: Educating children, educating the social workers and educating society. Through training programs, shelters, school support, peer educators better informed social workers and nationwide media campaigns, Telenor and UNICEF are not only helping children to better understand their rights, but they are also helping the country at large understand a child’s right to a childhood.

Funds have reached thousands of children

UNICEF’s first year report shows that the number of children touched by the project meets or exceeds initial projections. With funds poured into helping thousands of working children and street children, the impact made in just one year is significant.

“During the past year we have trained social workers, trained the peer educators and helped thousands of children. And there are still greater effects to be seen,” said Fløgstad. “That is why it’s so important for companies like Telenor to get involved. The world will not change unless everybody is a part of the change, and the business community is a very important part of changing attitudes and the way we treat people.”

Creating a sustainable system

With the ultimate goal of creating a sustainable system, Telenor and UNICEF envision a future in which the government, the World Bank and other donors build upon their program in Bangladesh. The idea behind all UNICEF programs is to demonstrate how to help and then teach others to do the same, which leads to a more sustainable system.

The best place for children to work is school

Early this summer, the UNICEF message reached new heights with a highly visible campaign against child labour. The tagline, “The best place for children to work is school”, is broadcast on radio and TV, and told by theatre troupes who travel the country to spread the word.

“We launched this campaign on June 12, coinciding with the “World Day Against Child Labour”. Our intention is to teach people that school is work and that it’s important for children. This campaign will be very visible for a long time to come, so we hope to get our message across to as many people as possible,” said Fløgstad.

A steady stream of children

This year Zumur and many more children will be returning to their homes. They are guided through the process by trained social workers, who help the families understand the importance of school and how children should be treated. The Telenor and UNICEF-sponsored drop-in centres, night shelters and schools in Dhaka will be ready and waiting for more children to take the places of the ones who have gone home.

“Children will continuously benefit from this project, because our hope is that eventually many of them can be reunited with their families,” explained Fløgstad. “Then new children will come to us for help and the process will start all over again. We will empower these new children and teach them their rights, and gradually succeed in re-defining childhood in Bangladesh.”

View Telenor’s journey through Dhaka in pictures