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POST TIME: 13 July, 2015 00:00 00 AM
�Teachers role vital to pro-adolescent reproductive health services�
BSS

�Teachers role vital to pro-adolescent reproductive health services�

RAJSHAHI: Responsive role of teachers, parents and leaders of influence has become an urgent need to ensure adolescent-friendly reproductive health services to all the target people for substantial and sustainable reduction of child marriage and child pregnancy, speakers at a discussion said, reports BSS.
They viewed there should be effective measures of bringing the schoolteachers and others concerned under training on the issue so that they can teach their students and guide them properly.
Making the youths free from various misconceptions relating to reproductive health is very vital.
The observation came at the closing session of a two-day teachers training styled “School Based Adolescents Awareness Raising” held at Green Garden Training Center in the city yesterday.
“Eradicating child marriage and child pregnancy is imperative in creating a glorious Bangladesh” was main theme of the training programme.
More than 25 teachers including two female from five high schools in Nachole Upazila joined the training.
Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) and GKS jointly organised the programme in association with Prevention of Child Marriage and Child Pregnancy Project and Oxfam-Novib.
During his welcome address, Rabiul Alam, executive director of ASSEDO, said there is no alternative to create community awareness through raising school-based awareness on adolescence for combating the existing rate of child marriage.
He said the project aims to involve community people so that they can play vital role to change the social mindset on child marriage and child pregnancy.
Besides, the venture intends to build awareness among the adolescents about their rights on reproductive health, he added.
The speakers said more responsive role of teachers including other community leaders has become indispensable to control child marriage as it leads to various violence and repression against women.
The practice of child marriage is very damaging, especially for girls. It seems girls are treated as a burden to society, once again, mostly in rural areas.
Terming the child marriage as the major violence and gross violation of human rights they said there is no alternative to check it substantially.
Despite multifarious interventions by the government and non-government organisations concerned, the child marriage is taking place frequently.
It is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of early marriage through the use of the mass media.
They stated that utmost importance should be given to addressing the menace of early marriage of children. Otherwise, the family planning activities will go in vain.