Parental perspectives on children’s right to participation in an urban slum settlement of Dhaka

Background Children in Bangladesh, particularly those from slums, are often denied opportunities to express their views. Objective Guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Lansdown’s evolving capacities model, and Belsky’s ecological framework, this study examined children’s participation rights as shaped by personal, social, and institutional forces within urban slums. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Adabor slum area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, between July and September 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using simple random sampling, 374 parents were selected with at least one child aged 7–17 years. Data was collected with a pretested questionnaire adapted from the Rights to Protection, Provision, and Participation screening Tool. Socio-demographic characteristics, family factors, and participation rights were analysed using descriptive statistics. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine predictors of participation. Results The mean age of the index child was 12.2 years (SD = 3.36), with 48% being male. 5% of children were involved in community initiatives, and 1.3% were encouraged to help solve community problems. Girls were more engaged than boys in discussing important family matters ( P < 0.05). The age of the index child (B = 0.15, P < 0.01) and having working children in the family (B = 0.63, P = 0.001) were positively associated and higher birth order was negatively associated with participation (B = -0.22, P = 0.017). Conclusions Families support children’s social involvement but often exclude them from decision-making. School councils, parental awareness, and policy reforms are needed to strengthen children’s voices.