Schoolgirl flees home to escape marriage
All Fahima Sultana Nodi wants is to study. Like any other girl of her age, the ninth-grader dreams of finishing school and pursuing a better life.
But her hopes were shattered as her parents fixed her marriage with an expatriate this Friday.
Desperate, she informed the matter to the principal of her school in Chittagong city's Mohora area. The principal with the help of a local NGO then sought Chittagong District Administration's (CDA) help.
Meanwhile, to avoid getting married against her will, Nodi fled home yesterday. She is staying with a friend, said the magistrate.
Contacted over the phone, Nodi said her parents forcibly arranged her marriage. “...I will not go back until they stop the marriage.”
Tania Moon, CDA executive magistrate, said the girl is under 18 and any attempt to marry her off would be illegal. “We informed the local ward councillor about the matter. If necessary, we'll conduct a mobile court to stop the marriage.”
Md Azam, the ward councillor, said, “I warned the parents already. If they arrange the marriage…the administration will take action against them.”
Contacted, Jane Alam, Nodi's father, said he fixed her daughter's marriage as local youths “disturbed” her on the way to school.
Asked whether he knew that child marriage is illegal, he said he heard about it but did not know the details.
“My daughter left in the morning…I am worried about her…I can't contact her,” he said. “Tell her to come back, I would stop this marriage and would think about it after she turns 18.”
Comments