Call to forge social resistance to end child marriage

RAJSHAHI, July 20 (BSS): Speakers at a training session have unanimously called for forging a social resistance for ending child marriage and teenage pregnancies for providing an opportunity for girls to acquire a broad set of livelihood prospects in future.

They viewed child marriage is just one of the numerous challenges and problems of adolescent girls all over the country and this prevents them from attaining their maximum potential in life due to complications that come in their way.

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.

To this end, there should be effective measures of bringing the schoolteachers and others concerned under need-based training on the issue so that they can teach their students and guide them properly.

The observations came at the closing session of a two-day teachers training styled "School Based Adolescents Awareness Raising" held at Nachole Govt. Primary School recently.

"Eradicating child marriage and child pregnancy is imperative in creating a glorious Bangladesh" was the theme of the training programme.

Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organisation (ASSEDO) and GKS jointly organised the programme in association with Prevention of Child Marriage and Child Pregnancy Project and Oxfam-Novib.

More than 25 teachers including two females from five high schools in Nachole Upazila joined the training.