Govt must protect adolescent girls
The government must focus on ensuring social protection for adolescent girls for sustainable development of the country, said discussants at a workshop yesterday.
Save the Children organised the workshop titled “More Investment in Social Protection for Adolescent Girls-Bridging the Policy Gap” at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.
Social protection means protecting adolescent girls from child marriage, dropping out of schools, poverty and sexual and physical exploitation; and improving their health and nutrition, said speakers.
Addressing the function, Women and Children Affairs Secretary Tariq-ul-Islam said currently there are no government programmes targeting protection of adolescent girls.
"We have a plan to provide financial support to around 7,000 girls under the VDG (vulnerable group development) programme," he informed.
Besides, special focus will be given on adolescent girls' health and nutrition, he said.
Country Director of Population Council, Bangladesh Ubaidur Rob said around four lakh incidents of child marriage occur in the country every year.
These girls who marry early give birth to underweight babies amidst high neonatal and maternal mortality risks, he viewed.
Hagar Russ, director of Child Rights Governance (CRG) of Save the Children, Bangladesh said the country's progress depends on adolescent girls, and so they should get priority in different public policies and programmes.
Presenting a paper, Suralini Fernando, CRG officer, said poverty reduction, improved health and nutrition, and ending child marriage are the key components of social protection of girls.
Around three dozen representatives from different child rights organisations attended the workshop and placed recommendations to this end.
The suggestions include--upgrading stipend programme for girls up to higher secondary level, involving religious leaders in adolescent girls' protection programme and sufficient government allocation for them.
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