Step Up the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation of Children (SUFASEC): Empowering Children and Communities in Bangladesh.

Funded By: The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Lead partner: Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Bangladesh

Co-partner: Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)

Project Working Area: Satkhira

Project Duration: March 2023-February 2026

Project Goal: Children in all of their diversity are better protected from sexual exploitation

Strategic Objective:

The three strategic objectives and related outcomes of the SUFASEC programme are:

Strategic Objective 1: Children, youth and their communities successfully challenge social norms and harmful practices related to SEC

Strategic Objective 2: Children and youth have access to and are supported by strengthened assets and protective environments.

Strategic Objective 3: Children and civil society meaningfully participate in holding duty bearers, including government and local authorities, accountable to their obligations towards improved (implementation of) laws, policies, and systems;

Project Summary:

SUFASEC project will capacitate vulnerable children, youth and parents to fight against Sexual Exploitation of Children (SEC)  and Online Sexploitation of Children (OSEC). The children, youth and their communities will challenge social norms and harmful practices related to SEC, and create a protective environment. Children and CSOs will hold duty bearers, including government and local authorities, accountable to their obligations towards improved (implementation of) laws, policies and systems on SEC.  Through the participation of children and youth, the community and the strong engagement of the duty bearer, the project will accelerate child protection mechanisms at the local level.

The target groups of the project are the children (below 18) at risk and victims of SEC, adolescents (10-19) and youth (15-24),  irrespective of their gender, age, class, caste, ethnicity, religion, disability, civil status, sexual orientation, geographic divide or HIV status and will be guided by human rights principles to attain, the highest standards of health.

Boys, girls, adolescents and youth are mobilised by forming groups known as Child Rights Defenders Forums (CRDF). Besides, students from secondary level schools in working districts will also be mobilised. Being capacitated they mobilise fellow children to advocate for preventing SEC and SRHR. To develop them as change agents, children, adolescents and youth will be trained in leadership skills, life skills, case monitoring, and reporting. They will be linked with local level service providers including police stations and local administration to claim protection services for victims of SEC and SRHR. The children and youth volunteers will participate in social media campaigning. A Facebook page will be created. Social media media campaigns and uCON will be organised. Relevant IEC materials will be linked through which children and youth volunteers will express their views and ideas. Besides advocacy events, they will participate in the Community Radio Program organised by ASK and PSTC. To ensure children’s participation in project activities, some school level campaigns will also be organised.

The stakeholders of the project are: the family and communities; CSOs; the private sector; and government agencies. To change societal attitudes and practices, a huge awareness campaign will be undertaken through online /media/social media campaign/uCON by the change agents and linking them with virtual platforms to voice opinions, demand services and popularise existing hotline/helpline to prevent SEC.  Edutainment and Theatre for Development (TfD) will be conducted to promote positive norms, eliminate stigma on SEC/OSEC/SRHR and promote healthy reproductive behaviours for young people. In addition, community based child protection committees (CBCPC) will be formed to protect and prevent SEC/OSEC and promote SRHR.

Periodic meetings/dialogue/e-dialogue with CSOs, CBCPC, Child Welfare Board (CWBs), local government institutions (LGIs), police stations, one-stop crisis centers, health institutions and other public and private service providers will be organised to ensure child friendly services to the children. The advocacy target group includes government officials including CWB members; private and public service providers including Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB); policymakers; Relevant ministries and line departments; Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW), Ministry of Health and Family Planning (MoHFP), Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) and Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The members of South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIEVAC) will also be stakeholders. Besides, experts on SEC and trafficking at national and regional levels will also be included in the project. SAIEVAC and experts on SEC will participate in different advocacy meetings to demand formulation of a national plan of action on SEC. Once developed, the national plan of action on the SEC will be an important part of the national child protection mechanism.