RAJSHAHI: Building social awareness among the community people, especially parents and teachers, has become an urgent need for prevention of child marriage and dowry for substantial and sustainable reduction of violence against women.
Speakers said this yesterday at a community level view-sharing meeting in Rajshahi, reports BSS.
They unequivocally called for concerted efforts to free the society from dowry, child marriage and violence against women.
The government alone or any single organisation is not capable to free the womenfolk from violence and repression, so community participation is very important in this regard.
Protiva Bikash Kendra, a non-government organisation, organised the meeting titled “Prevention and Discourage of Child Marriage” At Kholabona village under Paba Upazila of the district. “Eradicating child marriage and violence against women is imperative in creating a glorious Bangladesh” was the main theme of the meeting.
Akhter Jahan, MP, addressed the meeting as chief guest with Shariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Paba Police Station, in the chair. Deputy Director of Department of Family Planning Dr Nasim Akter, District Women Affairs Officer Shahnaz Begum and Upazila Social Service Officer Abu Taher also spoke.
Lawmaker Akhter Jahan said it seems that girls are treated as burden to society, mostly in rural areas.
Terming child marriage as gross violation of human rights, she 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.
She said 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 sustainable. Ensuring equal rights on education, training, science and technology is also important to women empowerment.
Overall national development could not be possible until the children coming from the poor and underprivileged families are educated and ensured all other fundamental rights they deserve, she added.Physical and mental development of children couldn’t be possible until they were protected from violence and deprivation.