“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Nelson Mandela’s words are not a poetic flourish. They are a test of leadership.
As Bangladesh prepares to welcome a new government following the national elections, the country stands at a crossroads. This election is not only about political change, it is about whether Bangladesh will invest decisively in its future. And that future is embodied in its children.
Children are often described as beneficiaries of policy. In truth, they are its clearest measure. How a nation invests in children tells us what kind of society it is becoming. It also tells us how competitive, resilient and prosperous it will be in the decades ahead. Investments in children consistently deliver the highest returns through better health, stronger education outcomes, reduced inequality and sustained economic growth.
Encouragingly, on December 1, 12 political parties contesting the elections acknowledged this reality by signing the Child Rights Manifesto -- a platform developed by young people themselves, grounded in current data and evidence, endorsed by think tanks and professional associations, and supported by Unicef. This was a promising step. But signatures alone do not change children’s lives. Implementation does.
The Manifesto sets out 10 clear and practical commitments that, if prioritized from day one by the next government, would transform the prospects of millions of children and strengthen Bangladesh’s human capital at a critical moment in its development journey. These are not abstract ideals. They are realistic policy choices with measurable outcomes.
The question, then, is not whether children should be central to the post-election agenda. The real question is: Can Bangladesh afford not to invest in its future now?
Start with survival
Despite impressive economic progress, Bangladesh still faces stubbornly high rates of child stunting and wasting, far higher than countries with fewer resources. This is neither inevitable nor acceptable.
Strengthening primary health care, scaling locally produced therapeutic foods, and ensuring universal antenatal and postnatal care would save lives immediately while reducing lifelong health costs for families and the economy.
Safety is equally urgent
More than five million children are engaged in child labour. Violence against women and children remains widespread. Nearly one in two girls is married before reaching adulthood. These are not marginal issues, they are systemic failures.
Enforcing laws against hazardous child labour, expanding child protection services, and removing legal exceptions that allow child marriage would keep millions of children in school, out of harm’s way, and on pathways to productive adulthood.
Education demands honesty and urgency
Too many children leave school without the skills needed for work or civic life. Learning deficits are deepening, while the digital divide is widening.
Guaranteeing nine years of free, compulsory, quality education, strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy, investing in teachers, and closing digital gaps are not luxuries but prerequisites for a competitive workforce. When private tutoring benefits more than children, it signals a system in need of reform and accountability.
Social protection must evolve
Poverty continues to drive malnutrition, school drop-out, street involvement and hazardous work. A child-focused approach, such as targeted grants for the most vulnerable young children, expanded cash transfers and school stipends, would protect early childhood development and reduce the pressures that push families into harmful coping strategies.
No discussion of children’s futures can ignore climate change. Bangladesh’s children are among the most exposed to climate shocks globally. Floods, cyclones and heatwaves disrupt schooling, nutrition and safety, affecting tens of millions of students.
Climate-resilient schools and health facilities, continuity plans for nutrition and WASH, and targeted protection for displaced children are not just adaptation measures; they are safeguards for learning and dignity.
Equity must also be addressed head-on. In parts of Bangladesh, particularly areas inhabited by indigenous and ethnic minority communities, government services are absent. No child should be excluded because of language, geography or identity.
Equitable access to quality education, vocational skills, and social services is essential to breaking cycles of exclusion. For Rohingya children in camps, certified learning and skills are equally critical if safe and dignified return is ever to be possible.
At the foundation of all rights lies identity. Yet over four in ten children remain unregistered at birth, rendering them invisible to the system. Universal, free and digitized birth registration, integrated with health and education systems, is one of the simplest and most powerful reforms a government can make.
Finally, none of this is possible without financing and accountability. Spending on health, education and child protection remains among the lowest globally. Predictable, ring-fenced investment must increase, and commitments must be tracked through transparent mechanisms, such as an annual Child Rights Scorecard tabled in Parliament, so promises translate into results.
Bangladesh’s development achievements are real and hard-won. But its long-term prosperity depends on choices made now, choices that place children at the centre of national priorities. Investing in children is not charity. It is sound economics. It builds a healthier workforce, a more cohesive society, and a more resilient nation.
Mandela’s challenge still stands. If the soul of a society is revealed by how it treats its children, then this election is Bangladesh’s moment of truth. Choose children today, and the country will reap the rewards for generations to come.
Rana Flowers is Unicef Representative in Bangladesh.
