In the HEROES project, Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) is leading the task on Child rights promotion and protection: awareness-raising, education and information. The task envision that the most effective way for promoting and protection of child rights is by raising awareness, educating and engaging civil society, teachers, parents, children and youth groups, social workers, local leaders, police officials and media groups.

In this context, Centre for Women and Children Studies launched the Red Heart Campaign to Promote Child Rights of Sexually Abused, Exploited and Trafficked Children on 30 July 2022 and called upon all to join our movement: Let us put our hearts together to save sexually abused, exploited and trafficked children.

Our campaign news were shared in various seminars, workshops, expert meetings, conferences, events being attended by us and interaction were held with civil society, academia, researchers and other relevant stakeholders. We created a Facebook page on the Red Heart Campaign activities and it is regularly updated. An educational promotion booklet entitled “Panoramic View of Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Lessons to Discuss and Rethink” was printed for teachers, parents, guardian, child advocates, children and others to educate them on the appropriate terminology for each type of conduct related to these crimes, with a particular focus on their online component to ensure the online safety of children. The first Newsletter Promoting Child Rights was published for wider dissemination of our activities.

About six Stakeholder Meetings were held with international NGOs, national NGOs, young men and women, students and faculty members of East West University, social workers, parents and teachers, and lastly with grassroots NGOs and CBOs who are working with child rights issues throughout Bangladesh, especially at the rural areas. Moreover, we called upon the expertise of the Consortium lead and partners for presenting a brief of the HEROES project and issues related to child abuse and exploitation in these stakeholder meetings online.

Participants who attended the above meetings shared their experiences, identified issues and challenges related to prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking, access to child protection for victims, and reintegration of child victims. In addition, we organized 3 Campaign Meetings with grassroots women rights organizations, various NGO representatives and youth groups.

We launched the Red Heart Campaign Network and invited organisations, child rights activists and experts to be network members from home and abroad. Its main aim was to collaborate and share experiences, lessons learnt and best practices on prevention and protection of children with a victim-centred approach. We prepared and disseminated the first Red Heart Campaign Network Bulletin online to our 74 network members in addition to our other network members, donors and development partners. We have received many resourceful materials from our partner organizations on child rights issues, especially on online child abuse and exploitation.