Australian Government Support for International Drowning Research Centre

Posted By: ILSF.org 18th February 2010

The Royal Life Saving Society ” Australia has announced plans to set up the world’s first International Drowning Research Centre in Bangladesh.

Partners are The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB).

With funding from the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development, AusAid, the centre aims to build the scientific evidence to show that drowning can be prevented in developing countries. The centre will focus on key research projects aimed at reducing child drowning in each of the key life stages: preschool, school aged and adolescents. Findings and programs will build skills to prevent drowning not just in Bangladesh but across the Asian region.

Child drowning is an epidemic in Asia, with one child estimated to drown every 45 second during daylight hours. Toddlers aged one to four make up almost half of almost all child drowning deaths. Every year up to 350,000 children drown in Asia. This is up to 20 times the rate of Australian children, with 50 children drowning last year in Australia.

Royal Life Saving’s Chief Operating Officer and ILS Child Drowning Chair Justin Scarr, says that “Sadly the fact is that drowning is part of everyday life for many people in Asia, particularly those living in rural areas. Australian Government recognition of the issue and funding is making a world of difference.

The International Drowning Research Centre will also promote the need for people across the region to be taught CPR and basic rescue skills. This will build upon the successes of the SwimSafe program which has already trained 40,000 children in Bangladesh in survival swimming and water safety, and is being piloted in Vietnam and Thailand.

Host of the International Drowning Research Centre, the newly appointed ILS Member Federation CIPRB, are excited by the prospect of increasing their capacity to provide drowning prevention research and capacity support activities to the region. They are hopeful that their research will be ready in time for the ILS World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2011 and that it provides a venue for many to learn more about drowning in developing countries.

The Centre will be formally launched in the coming months.