BSS, Rajshahi :
Speakers here have underscored for ensuring safe space for girls through combating all sorts of violence especially sexual harassment against them for boosting women empowerment.
They viewed that Sexual harassment at public places restricts girls’ rights to education, rights to mobility, rights to freedom and rights to life. Social movement can ensure such rights.
The observations came at a community level folk song function held hereon Sunday styled “Prevention of Sexual Harassment against Schoolgirls, Child Marriage and Violence against Women”. More than 300 villagers both males and females joined the programme.
The Hunger Project Bangladesh (THPB) and Jahanabad Union Parishad jointly organized the ceremony at at Naonagar Government Primary School playground in under Mohanpur Upazila in the district. Her Choice Programme for Safe School for Girls Campaign supported the programme.
UP Chairman Emaj Khan, Members Shahinara Begum and Aziz Uddin, THPB Area Coordinator Subrata Kumar Paul, School Managing Committee President Jahangir Hossain, Headmaster of the school Ataur Rahman and local elite Matiur Rahman spoke on the occasion.
They said ensuring social and economic security of the schoolgirls would increase the number of empowered women and their leadership. They added gender-sensitive social mindset can help establish rights of the adolescents through reducing violence and repression against them.
During his concept paper presentation, Subrata Paul, highlighted the aims and objectives of the event and sought cooperation of all quarters to establish equal economic opportunity and justice to girls.
He added the campaign intends to ensure equal scopes and economic opportunity and justice to women and girl child. It would ensure achievement of the sustainable development goals by 2030 and successful implementation of the government’s national action plan 2013-2025 for preventing violence against women and children.
“We need to establish social networks and alliances involving government and non-government organisations, community people, marriage registrars, civil society and media to reach the cherished goal,” said UP Chairman Emaj Khan.
