BD addressing child marriage problem in holistic manner

LONDON : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Tuesday her government is addressing child marriage problem in a holistic manner leading it from the front against significant opposition from religion-based political parties such as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, according to a news agency.
This party also opposed Bangladesh's National Women Development Policy 2011 and threatened to scrap it, she said while addressing a High-Level Session of the first-ever Girl Summit 2014  at Walworth Academy here.
"Child marriage certainly deserves our focused attention, but it can’t be treated in isolation. In Bangladesh, we, therefore, are addressing the issue in a holistic manner which helped us achieve a sustained decline the last two decades," she added.
"Second is strong legislations. We have had in place a Child Marriage Restraint Act dating back to 1929. We’re currently updating the law to provide harsher penalties and prosecution," she said.
Stressing that a bold and secular political commitment is extremely important in tackling a socially sensitive challenge like child marriage, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday said poverty reduction, ensuring education and creating job opportunities can naturally reduce child marriage.
Moderated by broadcaster Zeinab Badawi, the session was also addressed by two other panelists First Lady of Burkina Faso Chantal Compaore and Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan. British Prime Minister David Cameron also made remarks at the session.
Hasina said in western societies, including the UK, a rise in teen pregnancy and single young mother family (highest in US and second UK) are being witnessed when the responsibility of the newborn lay with the mother or the State.
In poorer societies under-18 marriage seem to be a safer alternate to that so that the girl is better protected within the union of marriage before bearing a child, Hasina added.