The government must ensure that children in development centres have the right to regular meetings with their lawful guardians, human rights activists, and lawyers, said End PHP Coalition today.

The coalition expressed serious concerns over reports of restricted visitation rights at child development centres across the country in a press statement.

Citing a recent media report, the statement said the Tongi Child Development Centre, for example, allows only two days per month for such meetings.

The coalition argued that these restrictions violate fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh, specifically Articles 31, 32, and 33, which guarantee the right to life, personal liberty, and the right to choose one's legal representation.

Additionally, sections 63 (4) and 52 of the Children Act 2013 mandated the protection of each child's best interests, continuous supervision, humane treatment, and conditional bail release, the statement mentioned.

The visitation restrictions also violate Article 37 (c) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees a child's right to maintain family contact. Article 3 (1) further stresses that the child's best interests must be the primary consideration in all actions concerning children, it added.

As such, the coalition urgently called for immediate reforms to guarantee visitation rights for detained children in all child development centres. They also demanded a directive ensuring legal guardians, lawyers, and human rights workers the right to meet these children, prioritising their best interests.