Collective efforts of all government and non-government entities concerned have become an urgent need to combat child marriage and child pregnancy.
Prevention of children marriage and child pregnancy is the precondition for substantial and sustainable improvement of child and maternal health.
The observation came at the launch of Rajshahi Divisional Report titled “Child Well-being Survey in Urban Areas of Bangladesh 2016” in the conference hall of Rajshahi Circuit House in the city on Monday.
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF Bangladesh jointly organized the ceremony.
Attending the meeting, administrative officials, researchers and experts underscored the need for infusing dynamism into this field so that the relevant sustainable development goals are achieved.
Secretary-in-charge of Information Management Division under the Ministry of Planning Sourendra Nath Chakravarty and commissioner of Rajshahi division Nur-Ur-Rahman addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively with Deputy Commissioner SM Abdul Kader in the chair.
Additional commissioner of Rajshahi division Aminul Islam, Social Policy Evaluation, Analytics and Research Head of UNICEF Bangladesh Carlos Ekosta Bermudez and its Rajshahi and Rangpur divisional head Nazibulllah Hameem also spoke.
During the survey report presentation, BBS Joint Director Ashraful Alam Siddiqui told the meeting that child marriage and child pregnancy has been increasing alarmingly in Rajshahi division during the last couple of years.
Chief guest Charkravarty highlighted the importance of children welfare survey in the database development planning.
He underscored the need for a proper utilization of the survey reports in the development planning relating to women and child health, nutrition and education.
He put emphasis on responsive support from the community, especially teachers, parents and influential leaders to ensure adolescent-friendly reproductive health services for reducing child marriage and child pregnancy.
The practice of child marriage is very damaging, especially for girls. It seems that girls are treated as burden to society, mostly in rural areas.
It is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of early marriage with the help of the mass media.
Eradicating child marriage and child pregnancy is imperative in founding a glorious Bangladesh.
