Child marriage impedes SDG implementation
Speakers at a dialogue have said prevention of child marriage and upholding cultural values can be major tools to meet gender equality while implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.
The dialogue on 'Global Development Agenda and Women’s Rights: New Considerations' was jointly organised by Citizen’s Platform for SDGs and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad on Tuesday at CIRDAP auditorium.
Shedding light on upholding cultural values, noted economist and convener of Citizen’s Platform for SDGs Debapriya Bhattacharya said people from all walks of life should uphold cultural values to ensure gender equality.
While presenting the keynote paper, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad joint general secretary Rakhi Das Purkayastha recommended including women's unpaid housework in the GDP, amending of inheritance law, ensuring one third of the workforce comprises women, ensuring safety for female workers abroad for gender equality while implementing SDGs in Bangladesh.
"All goals of SDG can be met if gender equity is ensured. Gender equity heavily depends on the decision making power of women. If they can't make decisions about reproduction rights, financial rights and other human rights, sustaining the goals are difficult," she said.
She also pointed out child marriages and forced marriages prevent women from taking part in development programmes.
Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) president Selima Ahmad said earlier parents used to marry off their underage daughter secretly but now they can do it publicly.
She labeled child marriage one of the major obstacles to meet SDGs.
Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) executive director Salma Ali too said child marriage became one of the major impediments to meet the goals of SDGs.
However, state minister for women and children affairs Meher Afroz Chumki said laws do have special provision, however, as per the child marriage retraint act, the parents have to follow the rules of the special provision to marry off their daughters.
Shamsul Alam, senior secretary of general economics division (GED), planning commission, referred to a story that has been published in today's (Tuesday) Prothom Alo.
"A story about an underage girl who killed herself because her parents wanted to marry her off without her will, has been published in Prothom Alo today. It shows the importance of adult education," he said.
He added that adult education can be a tool to dispel this kind of prejudice from these parents and make them understand the negative sides of child marriage.
He also focused on coeducation and vocational education to narrow down the margin between men and women.
Professor of Central Women's' University Maleka Begum pointed out that although women are getting enrolled for higher education, the dropout rate is significantly high among female students.