Increase community knowledge and awareness of the formal legal system, available legal services, and pathways for accessing remedies in cases of injustice is one of the key objectives of YPSA-Community Legal Services for Access to Justice Project (CLS). YPSA-CLS project is funded by UKaid and Implemented by Community Legal Services.
Multi-stakeholder engagement is another strategic principle of this project and their collective efforts ensures inclusive legal aid services for the poor and marginalized. Finally, it’s support to legal empowerment of the community. To support the same, under the activity of Awareness Meeting on Ending Corporal Punishment and Sexual Harassment at Educational Institutions was organized at six different upazilla’s (Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Ramu, Fatikchari, Rangunia and Sandwip) of Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong respectively on September 2016. This awareness meetings was comprises in two sections as firstly; organized an advocacy meeting with respective Teacher, School Management Committee (SMC) and Guardian representative. Under this advocacy meeting facilitator (project staff) shared that, stop the corporal punishment as well as physical and mental torture at educational institutions on accordance of High Court Direction 2011 and Education Ministry Guideline 2011. At discussion meeting Headmaster of Dhurang High School, Kutubdia, Mr. Murshedul Alam said that “we are now maintaining the guideline of Education Ministry 2011 and trying to build a friendly relationship with student.”
Secondly, after the advocacy meeting an awareness meeting on stop sexual harassment was held with the presence of class nine and ten Students. By this meeting, the students were made a clear understanding and knowledge on Sexual Harassment, its effect and punishment. This awareness meeting was great success almost 1150 participants were participated on these events on eight different schools at six Upazilla’s. Types of participants are student, teacher, guardian and SMC.
These events were organized on following schools as; (1) Nur Ahamed Engineer High School, Nazirhat, Fatikchari, Chittagong (2) Harualchari High School, Bhujpur Fatikchari, Chittagong (3) Bedura Alam Chowdhury High School, Shilock, Rangunia, Chittagong (4) Alhaz Abdul Bashar Chowdhury High School, Betagi, Rangunia, Chittagong (5) Musapur Hazi Abdul Baten High School, Musapur, Sandwip, Chittagong (6) Dhurang High School, Dhurang, Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar (7) Alhaz Abdul Mabud High School, Hoanuk, Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar (8) Mansur Ali Shikder Ideal High School, Rajarkul, Ramu, Cox’s Bazar.
This event makes a significant positive changes and effect on school going students about Sexual Harassment. Later, project staff said that, in early childhood, the brain develops faster than any other organ in the body. This makes early childhood a very sensitive and critical period in brain development. The stresses caused by pain and fear of spanking can negatively affect the development and function of a child’s brain, derailing natural, healthy brain growth and resulting in life-long and irreversible abnormalities. So, project call for action, on Stop Corporal Punishment and Sexual Harassment at Educational Institutions for better development of next generation.
