UNB, Dhaka :
UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development Lynne Featherstone on Monday said young people are the ‘change makers’ and urged them to start a campaign sending out a strong message to end child marriage.
“Young people are a powerful force for change. It’s truly fantastic to see so many young people here today, ready to take action. You’re the change makers,” she said urging the young generation to kick off a campaign and conversations in their communities, speak to their friends, families and schools to get millions more voices demanding change for girls.
Featherstone said the commitment shown by Bangladesh government and civil society organizations, such as BRAC, illustrates how Bangladesh is driving change to end child marriage.
“The future isn’t fixed. Together, if we raise our voices loud enough, we can build a better world for girls, and a better world for everyone,” she said while addressing the Bangladesh Girl Summit-2014 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki and BRAC founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Featherstone said her aim is to push for as much progress as possible towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls. “I know all of us here share that goal. Today, I want to encourage and share ideas about what we can all do to achieve it.”
Globally hundreds of millions of women alive today were married off as children — 250 million of them were married off before 15. In total, 1 in 3 women experiences domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in South Asia: 65 percent, the fourth highest worldwide. Among 20-24 year-old women, a third were married off by the age of 15.
