Speaker calls MPs to check child marriage by encouraging girls education

Jatiya Sangsad (JS) speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Saturday said the parliament members should play important role while encouraging girls’ education as the preventive to child marriage in the country.

She made the observation while virtually addressing a consultation workshop on prevention of child marriage and gender based violence and ensuring reproductive healthcare, organised by the Bangladesh Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (BAPPD) at Kaliganj upazila in Gazipur, said a press release.

Shirin said it is necessary to make a concerted effort to raise awareness regarding the girls’ education to prevent child marriage, and implement and monitor all the activities of the BAPPD at the grassroots level.

Noting that the incidence of violence against women and child marriage increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, she said the challenges like violence against women and child marriage should be tackled properly.

Shirin emphasised on making the parents of girl children aware about the government's steps to take the girls forward and said the parents should realise that the daughters are not burdens for them.

Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on women and children affairs and convener of the subcommittee on prevention of child marriage and gender-based violence, Meher Afroze Chumki chaired the workshop.

Lawmakers Nazrul Islam Babu, Aroma Dutta, Sheuli Azad, Shabnam Jahan and Fakhrul Imam addressed the workshop as special guests.

Secretary of the parliament secretariat KM Abdus Salam conducted the workshop while project director (joint secretary) MA Kamal Billah delivered welcome address in the event.