Education for girls reduces child marriage

Kalpana Sheel, 14, who is studying at class nine, prevented her early marriage with the help of administration, reports BSS.Kalpana, hailed from Basail upazila of Tangail district, is now studying at Basail Pilot Girls’ High School in class IX, took the bold step as she is determined to continue her study.Earlier, Kalpana told her parents that she will not marry before the age of 18. Her parents and other relatives, however, fixed the date for marriage ignoring her opinion.Her parents completed all preparation to solemnize the marriage ceremony. But, Kalpana went to her school to attend in the examination. After completing her exam, she along with her two fellows went to the office of Basail Assistant Commissioner (AC-Land) Mohammad Nazmul Ahsan, informed the official of her parents’ step for forced marriage and sought his help to prevent it.On November 21, the official called Kalpana’s parents and asked them about the matter.
“Kalpana’s parents told me about their poverty and inability to continue schooling of their daughter, I requested the headmaster to give Kalpana the opportunity to study at the institution for free and the headmaster agreed,” Nazmul Ahsan.The official fined Kalpana’s father Tk 1,000, in default, to suffer seven days’ imprisonment on charge of arranging the early marriage.
Kalpana’s parents returned home with her, after giving undertaking that they will not arrange their daughter’s marriage before she reaches the age of 18.
Kalpana said, “I understand the bad effects of early marriage and the legal bar about it. And so, I have decided to seek help of the government officer for preventing my marriage.”
In another case, on November 7 another schoolgirl Rokeya Akhter alias Ritu Khatun, 13, who is studying at Phapor Palli Mongal High School in class XII under Bogra Shadar upazila, prevented her early marriage with the help of local administration.
Locals said Ritu’s father was preparing to forcibly marry her off with a young man, 25, an expatriate of the same village under the upazila on November 4.
But, she and one of her classmates informed Upazila Nirbahi Officer to stop the marriage. Finally, the UNO with the help of local police stopped the marriage.
Like them, many girls are raising their voices against the early marriage following education and becoming aware of bad impact of the early marriage, experts opined.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki said following the collective efforts of the government offices, officials and development partners, the child marriage of girls under age of 18 years has been reduced to 52 per cent from 74 per cent in the last 10 years in the country.In response to a query, she said it has been possible due to the education and commitment of the government officials who are working at the grassroots level.However, she said that the problem of child marriage is still critical. She identified the poverty and the lack of education as the main obstacle to curb child marriage in the country. Advocate Fawzia Karim, president of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association (BNWLA) said, “Girls become more conscious now than before regarding the child marriage issue”.“This (child marriage) is a very complex issue. But education, awareness and different programmes to prevent child marriage have played a role in reducing early marriage,” she said.
“Girls are more conscious about their rights now. They themselves are preventing the marriage with the help of their friends, teachers or government officials. This made happen declining the social curse,” she noted.

 

Education for girls reduces child marriage

Kalpana Sheel, 14, who is studying at class nine, prevented her early marriage with the help of administration, reports BSS.Kalpana, hailed from Basail upazila of Tangail district, is now studying at Basail Pilot Girls High School in class IX, took the bold step as she is determined to continue her study.Earlier, Kalpana told her parents that she will not marry before the age of 18. Her parents and other relatives, however, fixed the date for marriage ignoring her opinion.Her parents completed all preparation to solemnize the marriage ceremony. But, Kalpana went to her school to attend in the examination. After completing her exam, she along with her two fellows went to the office of Basail Assistant Commissioner (AC-Land) Mohammad Nazmul Ahsan, informed the official of her parents step for forced marriage and sought his help to prevent it.On November 21, the official called Kalpanas parents and asked them about the matter. Kalpanas parents told me about their poverty and inability to continue schooling of their daughter, I requested the headmaster to give Kalpana the opportunity to study at the institution for free and the headmaster agreed, Nazmul Ahsan.The official fined Kalpanas father Tk 1,000, in default, to suffer seven days imprisonment on charge of arranging the early marriage. Kalpanas parents returned home with her, after giving undertaking that they will not arrange their daughters marriage before she reaches the age of 18. Kalpana said, I understand the bad effects of early marriage and the legal bar about it. And so, I have decided to seek help of the government officer for preventing my marriage. In another case, on November 7 another schoolgirl Rokeya Akhter alias Ritu Khatun, 13, who is studying at Phapor Palli Mongal High School in class XII under Bogra Shadar upazila, prevented her early marriage with the help of local administration. Locals said Ritus father was preparing to forcibly marry her off with a young man, 25, an expatriate of the same village under the upazila on November 4. But, she and one of her classmates informed Upazila Nirbahi Officer to stop the marriage. Finally, the UNO with the help of local police stopped the marriage. Like them, many girls are raising their voices against the early marriage following education and becoming aware of bad impact of the early marriage, experts opined. State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki said following the collective efforts of the government offices, officials and development partners, the child marriage of girls under age of 18 years has been reduced to 52 per cent from 74 per cent in the last 10 years in the country.In response to a query, she said it has been possible due to the education and commitment of the government officials who are working at the grassroots level.However, she said that the problem of child marriage is still critical. She identified the poverty and the lack of education as the main obstacle to curb child marriage in the country. Advocate Fawzia Karim, president of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association (BNWLA) said, Girls become more conscious now than before regarding the child marriage issue.This (child marriage) is a very complex issue. But education, awareness and different programmes to prevent child marriage have played a role in reducing early marriage, she said. Girls are more conscious about their rights now. They themselves are preventing the marriage with the help of their friends, teachers or government officials. This made happen declining the social curse, she noted.