The ongoing Covid pandemic has visibly exposed the need to accord special attention to the demands of the vulnerable sections of Bangladesh society, who tend to be the most adversely impacted by shocks and disasters of similar types. However, the interests of these groups are often not adequately reflected in the policy initiatives that are taken to address the attendant and emerging concerns associated with such shocks. Nowhere is this gap between the shifting demands and what was on offer so manifestly apparent than in case of the children, particularly from the marginalised communities, whose needs tend to be specific and contextual, and often remain hidden and unspoken. Against this backdrop, it is the responsibility of all the stakeholders concerned to raise voice, and take appropriate actions to address the concerns and advance the interests of the children with the urgency that they deserve.
In the light of the above, the motivation of the present Policy Brief is to promote the cause of welfare of Bangladesh’s children by examining particularly the Social Safety Net Programmes (SSNPs), implemented by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), through the lens of Covid-induced deprivations suffered by the children. The idea is to come up with suggestions towards improving well-being of the children of Bangladesh, through the SSNPs, in consideration of the accentuated multidimensional deprivations originating from the Covid pandemic and future shocks of this type that can afflict the interests of these children.
Authors: Mustafizur Rahman and Md. Asiful Islam
Publication Period: April 2023