Ensuring a meaningful life for girls

The 'Girl Summit', the first of its kind, was jointly hosted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the British Government on July 22, 2014, with a view to mobilising domestic and international efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM), and girls' early and forced marriage, within a generation. The event took place in London.
The 'summit' brought together campaigners, policymakers and development professionals from around the world.
Its other objectives were preventing violence against women, delivering their babies safely, getting jobs, having education and legal reforms to enjoy land and inheritance rights. Delegations from fifty-two countries, including Bangladesh, from across the globe joined the meet.
The Girl Summit began with opening remarks from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on screen.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced at the conference, "Our aim is to outlaw FGM and child marriage everywhere for everyone. FGM, which affects tens of millions of women, particularly in the Horn of Africa, ranges from removal of the clitoris to the mutilation and removal of other female genitalia. It can leave girls at risk of prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and even death. All girls have the right to live free from violence and coercion, without being forced into marriage or the lifelong physical and psychological effects of female genital mutilation. I want to build a better future for all our girls and I am hosting the Girl Summit today so that we say with one voice -- let's end these practices once and for all."
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her speech expressed her belief that a bold and secular political commitment was important in tackling a socially sensitive challenges like child marriage.
Speakers at the event included Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who recovered after being shot in the head by the Taliban and is now a campaigner for girls' education. Besides, Indian actress and girls' rights activist Freida Pinto also spoke at the conference.
In her speech Malala Yousafzai said, "We should have the right to change traditions and we should make the changes. We ask that there be no more FGM or child marriages. We should not be followers of traditions that go against human rights... we are human beings and we make traditions."
UNICEF estimates that globally around one in three young women aged 20 to 24 years, which means approximately  70 million girls,  were married before the age of 18 and around 11 per cent,  meaning  23 million, were married before their 15th birthday. With figures at 65 per cent, Bangladeshi is among the countries with the highest rates of child marriage. Some other countries in the chart show: Niger 75 per cent, Chad and Central African Republic 68 per cent, Guinea 63 per cent, Mali 55 per cent, Burkina Faso and South Sudan 52 per cent and Malawi 50 per cent. The conference warned in a new report that while the rate of FGM and child marriage has fallen over the past three decades, population increase in developing nations alone could reverse this trend if "intensive action" is not introduced.
"More than 130 million girls and women have experienced some form of FGM in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, where the practice is most common. More than 700 million women worldwide were married as children. The numbers tell us that we must accelerate our efforts," said UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.
The impact of child marriage is devastating for society. Child brides usually have a high burden of domestic responsibilities and have little or no say in household and personal decisions. They are at an increased risk of violence and abuse. An early pregnancy poses higher risks as the mother is still a child herself. Lack of education, poverty and harmful social norms are among the root causes of child marriage. In insecure situations, families are more likely to marry off their young daughters thinking this situation will keep their young daughters safe. Primary education enrolment has been increasing with over 95 per cent now starting primary school with more girls than boys completing primary education. Also, the number of women dying in childbirth between 1990 and 2013 fell by 70, giving an opportunity to achieve the MDG target.
The proportion of girls being married off before the age of 15 years has decreased from 52 per cent to 17 per cent in the last 30 years. The proportion of girls married off by the age of 18 is also declining, but it is not fast enough to reach the expected and desired goal.  
Abhorrent practices like these, no matter how deeply rooted in societies, violate the rights of girls and women across the world, including in the UK. British lawmakers earlier this month said the prevalence of FGM in the country was a "national scandal", warning that up to 170,000 women may have had the procedure and another 65,000 young girls were at risk. A damning report from the House of Commons home affairs committee condemned the failure of the government, police, health, and education authorities over many years to address what it said was an "extreme form of child abuse". British International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced that the government would contribute £25 million towards a UN joint programme to end child marriage, which will reach six million girls. It has been decided that doctors and teachers should be brought under law to report Female Genital Mutilation in the UK. Prime Minister Cameron confirmed that Britain would introduce legislation, under which doctors and teachers would be required by law to report FGM, while parents who allow their daughters to be cut would be prosecuted.
 "Girls have the right to determine their destiny, they are not property. When they do so, everyone benefits," UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said.
If the rates of decline seen in the past three decades are sustained, the impact of population growth means the number of women married off as children will remain flat through 2050; and up to 63 million more girls could be cut by 2050. Doubling the rate of decline would bring the number of women married as children down to 570 million by 2030, and 450 million by 2050. The number of girls and women affected by FGM would remain roughly at today's levels. The numbers tell us we must accelerate our efforts.
And let's not forget that these numbers represent real lives. These are today global issues. These require solutions by governments, communities, families and girls themselves. They must change their mindsets and break the cycles that perpetuate FGM and child marriage.
The writer is Programme Manager, BRAC Education Programme                and vice-president, Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA).                      [email protected]