Bangladesh: sports stars campaign for rights of the children

Bangladesh's two top cricketers and a female table tennis player will campaign at schools, talk to parents and visit slums to create awareness about child rights, the United Nations' children agency said Thursday.

Bangladesh has made great strides in improving child health, but could benefit further from a campaign for child rights, Arsenault said.

The mortality rate of children under 5 has dropped from 146 per 1,000 to 76 per 1,000 children over the last decade, according to a recent UNICEF report.

Still, about 30,000 children die each year, or about three deaths per hour, from serious injuries, with drowning accounting for about 17,000 of those deaths, the report said.

Linu, has won the national table tennis championship 16 times, said she wanted to help promote early child development. "I want to help children learn, grow and participate," she said. A.M.