Dhaka: A child rights activist group in Dhaka has urged corporate houses to prioritise street children’s welfare in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy.

They came up with the demand at a press conference organised by Social and Economic Enhancement Programme (SEEP), an NGO, in collaboration with Terre des Hommes, Netherlands at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity (DRU) on Sunday.

SEEP programme officer Moniruzzaman Mukul presented three recommendations in his keynote paper to include street children’s welfare in CSR.

He said a specific CSR policy and guideline should be formulated for the security and development of street children.

Street children welfare projects under CSR should be monitored and if any organisation violated the policy and guideline should be punished, Mukul said.

Speaking at the programme, SEEP deputy executive director Tahmina Jasmine said though the government has adopted the National Children Policy 2011 to protect children, there are now 12 lakh street children in the country which will reach 16 lakh by 2025.

She said the government has formulated its policy but making the street children as skilled workforce for future is not possible without the partnership of the government, NGO’s and corporate organisations.