BSS, Rajshahi :
Responsive support from the community, especially local administration, public representatives, teachers, parents and influential leaders, has become must to ensure adolescent-friendly reproductive health services for reducing child marriage and child pregnancy substantially and sustainably, said discussants in a coordination meeting. They viewed that schoolteachers and others concerned should be trained on the issue so that they can teach their students and guide them properly. At a sharing meeting with upazila administration titled “Prevention of child marriage and child pregnancy” held yesterday at Nachole Upazila Parishad, the speakers said freeing the youth from various misconceptions regarding reproductive health is very vital.
“Eradicating child marriage and child pregnancy is imperative in creating a glorious Bangladesh” was main theme of the meeting. Over 65 people including government officials, public representatives, schoolteachers, marriage registrars, religious leaders and other stakeholders joined the meeting. Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organised the programme in association with Prevention of Child Marriage and Child Pregnancy Project and Oxfam. Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader addressed the discussion as chief guest while ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam and GKS Chairman Selim Jahangir spoke as special guests with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rashed Washif in the chair. Upazila Vice-chairman Mujibur Rahman, Women Affairs Officer Shirin Akter, Education Officer Dulal Uddin, UP Chairmen Abdul Awal, Abdus Salam, Enayetullah and Sadir Ahmed and PLFMB Project Manager Mahabub Jaman also spoke.
The speakers also called for building a social resistance against child marriage and teenage pregnancies. Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader said there is no alternative to creating community awareness through raising school-based awareness on adolescence for combating the existing rate of child marriage. The practice of child marriage is very damaging, especially for girls. It seems that girls are treated as burden to society, mostly in rural areas. Terming child marriage as gross violation of human rights, he said children are being married off frequently, despite multifarious interventions by the government and non-government organisations concerned. It is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of early marriage with the help of the mass media.
Abdul Kader stated that utmost importance should be given to check early marriage of children. Otherwise, the family planning activities will go in vain and the violence against women would not reduce as well. ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam said the project aims to involve community people so that they can play pivotal role in changing the social mindset on child marriage and child pregnancy. Besides, the venture intends to build awareness among the adolescents about their rights to reproductive health, he added.
Responsive support from the community, especially local administration, public representatives, teachers, parents and influential leaders, has become must to ensure adolescent-friendly reproductive health services for reducing child marriage and child pregnancy substantially and sustainably, said discussants in a coordination meeting. They viewed that schoolteachers and others concerned should be trained on the issue so that they can teach their students and guide them properly. At a sharing meeting with upazila administration titled “Prevention of child marriage and child pregnancy” held yesterday at Nachole Upazila Parishad, the speakers said freeing the youth from various misconceptions regarding reproductive health is very vital.
“Eradicating child marriage and child pregnancy is imperative in creating a glorious Bangladesh” was main theme of the meeting. Over 65 people including government officials, public representatives, schoolteachers, marriage registrars, religious leaders and other stakeholders joined the meeting. Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organised the programme in association with Prevention of Child Marriage and Child Pregnancy Project and Oxfam. Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader addressed the discussion as chief guest while ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam and GKS Chairman Selim Jahangir spoke as special guests with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rashed Washif in the chair. Upazila Vice-chairman Mujibur Rahman, Women Affairs Officer Shirin Akter, Education Officer Dulal Uddin, UP Chairmen Abdul Awal, Abdus Salam, Enayetullah and Sadir Ahmed and PLFMB Project Manager Mahabub Jaman also spoke.
The speakers also called for building a social resistance against child marriage and teenage pregnancies. Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader said there is no alternative to creating community awareness through raising school-based awareness on adolescence for combating the existing rate of child marriage. The practice of child marriage is very damaging, especially for girls. It seems that girls are treated as burden to society, mostly in rural areas. Terming child marriage as gross violation of human rights, he said children are being married off frequently, despite multifarious interventions by the government and non-government organisations concerned. It is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of early marriage with the help of the mass media.
Abdul Kader stated that utmost importance should be given to check early marriage of children. Otherwise, the family planning activities will go in vain and the violence against women would not reduce as well. ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam said the project aims to involve community people so that they can play pivotal role in changing the social mindset on child marriage and child pregnancy. Besides, the venture intends to build awareness among the adolescents about their rights to reproductive health, he added.
