State to bear living cost of unexpected children

The government has finally decided to execute the provision of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000 for giving subsistence support from the state to the kids born due to rape.
“We have decided to execute the law from the idea of 'welfare state' of some moderate countries,” state minister for Women and Children Affairs Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury told the news agency.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-1995 was replaced by the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000 during the then Awami League government incorporating the provision in section 8(13) of the act.
The act was published in the gazette in 2003, but no step was taken for its implementation, Dr Sharmin said adding the execution of the law began with giving Tk 27,000 at a time to one Rabeya of Gopalganj to take care of her child.
The state minister said Rabeya was given the amount from subsistence fund of the ministry and every year she would be got Tk 9,000 for her child.
The government has started collecting information from respective courts regarding the cases in connection with women and children repression.
“After reviewing and scrutinizing the information and collecting data on actual number of annual births of this kind of children, we will look for adequate allocation from the government to support the children,” she said.
Dr Sharmin also referred to a recent court order in this connection passed by the Women and Children Repression Prevention Court in Gopalganj district and said, “We have to execute the law to uphold the court verdict”.
Talking to news agency, Barrister Shafique Ahmed, minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, said the country's constitution stipulated that every citizen born within the territory of the country will get the basic rights to survive.
“It's the obligation of the state to ensure basic rights of a child instead of looking to how one was born as it is related to humanity and welfare,” he said.
“Most of the moderate countries follow the law where such children are provided with food, clothing and shelter from the state to sustain their lives,” the minister said adding the children also enjoy the right to use the identity of their parents.
Under section 8 (13) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 2000, a mother can keep her unexpected child in her own care or any of her relations.
The children will have the right to use the identity of their mother or father or of both. The state will bear the cost of living of a male child up to 21 years and up to marriage in case of a female child.