Bangladesh government hosts NPS meeting to discuss ending violence against children

By Charles Gladden

Belize City, Friday, July 26, 2024

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Government of Belize (through the Ministries of Health and Human Development) held a National Preparatory Session (NPS) in Belize City on Friday, July 26, in preparation for the Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence against Children.

The NPS is a preparatory event for the Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence against Children, which takes place in Bogota, Colombia, on November 6-7. This is the first conference of its kind and focuses on bringing together policy-level stakeholders to end violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean.

At Friday’s meeting, UNICEF Representative in Belize Alison Parker stressed that children aged 1 to 4 in Belize experience the highest rates of physical violence. She noted that the Global Ministerial Meeting was a reminder for the participating countries.

“These nation states have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child; therefore, it holds all of us accountable to remind us of the commitments we made as governments and development partners to ensure that we deliver on the promises we made 35 years ago to ensure that children can grow up in a safe and natural environment so that they can become productive citizens of the future,” Parker said.

Melissa Diaz-Musa, director of public health and wellness at the Ministry of Health, mentioned that they had been informed about the NPS for several weeks, and that the Ministry of Human Development has been the lead ministry in ending violence against children.

“We are honoured to be part of this initiative as it is of vital importance to our country. We have had many successes in combating violence against children; as for health, we have taken several measures such as abolishing fees for public health facilities, ensuring good vaccination rates to reduce childhood illness, improving and integrating mental health care and prenatal care,” she said.

The Global Ministerial Conference was co-organized by the Governments of Colombia and Sweden, the Office of the Special Representative for the End of Violence against Children and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization.