Key Demands for Youth Health in Election Manifestos: 8-Point Proposal Unveiled
Stakeholders urge the inclusion of Sexual and Reproductive Health, Menstrual Hygiene, and the passage of an Anti-Discrimination Law in upcoming Parliamentary Election Manifestos.
Major political parties made a strong call to integrate the health, prosperity, and aspirations of the youth into their election manifestos for the upcoming general election. This demand was raised during a key consultation meeting organised by a civil society initiative under the ‘Right Here, Right Now (RHRN)’ project. The discussion, titled “Consultation on Youth Health, Prosperity, and Expectations in Political Party Manifestos,” took place on Tuesday, October 14th, at a hotel in Dhaka.
The discussion was moderated by Zakir Hossain, Executive Director of the Citizen Initiative, while Joyeta Hossain, Project Coordinator, gave the key presentation. Prominent political leaders present included Samantha Sharmin (NCP), Zakia Shishir of the State Reform Movement, Dr Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the BNP Chairperson, Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, General Secretary of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dol, and Luna Nur of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, among others.
Dr Altaf Hossain, Executive Director of BAPSA, mentioned that there was a severe implementation gap regarding laws and regulations related to SRH. He asked for the immediate inclusion of SRHR under scientific guidelines in the National Health Policy. He also mentioned menstrual hygiene, saying that social taboos related to this issue force girls to stay away from schools or even abstain from drinking water. Furthermore, he emphasised that much-needed coordination in this regard should be developed between civil society and the government.
NCP leader Samantha Sharmin stressed that infrastructure development should be strong enough to guarantee SRHR for marginalised communities. She also mentioned the need for engaging skilled physicians and raising societal awareness on an equal footing. M. Rahman Bhuiyan (Monju), Chairperson of the Amar Bangladesh Party, said that there is a need to provide adequate opportunities for women in the political parties and to create open, friendly dialogue between parents and children on issues related to SRHR. He called for unity from the political parties and the administration at the time of decision-making.
The meeting ended with eight key demands on youth well-being that need to be included in the manifestos. One of the noteworthy ones was the guarantee of full gender equality by withdrawing the reservations for Articles 2 and 16.1(c) of the CEDAW Convention. Another key demand is the revision in the National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017-2030 to ensure guaranteed access to SRH services for each married and unmarried, gender-diverse, marginalised, minority, and disabled.
Other proposals put forward include increasing the national budget for youth SRH services, integrating psychosocial health with mainstream healthcare, introducing CSE at the secondary level of education, and undertaking greater measures against all kinds of harassment, including child marriage and cybercrime. Finally, the unified voice called for the immediate enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Law – 2022 after necessary amendments.