Resisting child marriage
What is needed now
is creation of
awareness at the grassroots level to prevent child marriage in the
country
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki at a discussion meeting in the capital recently urged all to come forward to stop child marriage to get rid of the evil chain of malnutrition. According to a report in this newspaper on Saturday, Chumki said the girls who become victims of child marriage give birth to low-weight babies and these babies suffer from malnutrition, which finally creates impediment to the countrys progress. Enactment of law for reducing the rate of child marriage will do little if the overall mindset of the people of the country is not changed.
How many people are showing respect to the law of the land and are refraining from giving their underage daughters in marriage? Thousands of girls are being given in marriage in different places in the country. This is contributing to unbridled population growth in the country. Illiteracy, social discrimination, ignorance, age-old superstition and insecurity of girls are mainly responsible for early marriage of girls.
As about 90 per cent of the total population lives in rural areas, underage marriages are being solemnized there rampantly. Parents and relatives in rural areas hardly care about the ills of early marriage. Unfortunately Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage with 73 per cent girls getting married before they become 18 years old, revealed a survey report by Plan international, an international child rights organisation.
A girl may attain puberty even at age 12 or 13. This gives her physical ability to procreate. But procreation is not all; physical, mental and intellectual maturity is needed for a planned family life. Besides, women have to confront many ills like dowry, divorce, rigours of repeated child-bearing, malnutrition and broken health. Taking all these into consideration child marriage should be resisted. There is no alternative to creation of mass awareness to prevent this malaise that has penetrated deep into the society and is doing a lot of mischief.
It is encouraging to note that recently child marriages are facing resistance. Credit goes to conscious people for coming forward in this regard. What is needed now is creation of awareness at the grassroots level to prevent child marriage in the country. Teachers, UP chairmen and members, village leaders, religious leaders like imams of mosques can be engaged to fight this menace.
