They also underscored the need for speedy trial of child rights violation cases.

The discussion titled 'Minimum care standard for the children who have been sexually abused, exploited and trafficked' was organised by Save the Children Sweden-Denmark to mark the International Children's Day and National Child Rights Week in the city.

Olof Risberg, country representative of Save the Children, in his welcome speech said there is no ideal model to take care of sexually abused children as variety of needs are often found while working with them.

He however called for being flexible while giving psychosocial support to abused children to bring them back to normal life.

Olof suggested that media has a tremendous responsibility to sensitise society to treat the abused children with due care.

Salma Ali, executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), called for psychosocial rehabilitation of abused children.

Presenting a paper at the discussion she said family environment rather than shelter homes can help victims to cope with their psychological trauma after the abuse.

She also urged the policy makers to take initiative to check trafficking in cooperation with NGOs.

Habibur Rahman, director of social services department, said most of the victims are underprivileged children of the society.

But Prof Mehtab Khanom of psychology department of Dhaka University said children from privileged section of the society are also not safe.

"Once the children are abused they may suffer from fear, anxiety, post-traumatic disorder and low self-esteem for a long time," she said.

She called for efficient counselling by counsellors and family members for abused children to bring them back to mainstream of the society.

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, editor of The Bangladesh Observer, called for speedy trial of child rights violation cases.

Representatives from different organisations including Unicef, Durjoy Nari Sangha, Nari Maitree and Breaking the Silence attended the discussion chaired by AKM Masud Ali, executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh.