Bangladesh loses an average of 30 children to drowning every day, and most of these deaths could be prevented. Speakers at a high-level media consultation in Dhaka on Monday, June 29, called on journalists and editors to give greater attention to child safety issues.
The event was organised by Somosti Media Communication and Development Foundation in collaboration with Synergos Bangladesh at a hotel in Dhaka.
Mir Masruruzzaman, executive director of Somosti, cited a joint study by the World Health Organisation and the Bangladesh government, which found that around 30 children under swimming age die from drowning each day. When children up to swimming age are included, the figure rises to around 40 per day.
He said the government had previously launched community-based childcare centres and swimming training initiatives, but the programme lost momentum after its first phase ended. Media coverage of drowning deaths was once limited to event-based reporting, but sustained advocacy has since led to more investigative and solution-oriented journalism on the issue, which has also increased awareness among policymakers.
Mohammad Rizwanul Haque, Senior Programme Manager at Synergos Bangladesh, said the programme’s second phase will cover 79 upazilas across 30 districts, aiming to bring around 700,000 children into swimming training and 300,000 into community childcare. Around 13,000 childcare centres and 26,000 caregivers will be involved.
He urged journalists to report actively on child protection, saying a single news report can draw policymakers’ attention to issues of public interest.
Senior journalists and editors from several outlets attended, including M Abul Kalam Azad, editor of TIMES of Bangladesh.
