Teenage girl’s journey from Bangladesh’s rural area to UN
Moni to speak against child marriage at the UN General Assembly
The journey from Moulvibazar's Kulaura to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York was tiring for 16-year-old Moni Begum, yet she wore a self-confident smile, as seen in Save the Children in Bangladesh's Facebook page.
Moni, who had been raising awareness about the dangers of child marriage and different aspects of mother and child health in her community for the last three years, would now advocate for the issues at the UNGA 70 to be held from September 21-28.
She is expected to meet national and international delegates from all over the world, including UN and civil society representatives, and government officials from Bangladesh. She would give her opinion on ending child marriage and ensuring access to healthcare for all.
As part of “Every One Campaign”, a five-year project of Save the Children, 20 children, including Moni, from all over the world will attend the UNGA 70 this year.
Her slogan in this assembly is “LetHerGrow”.
“Instead of marrying the girls off in their teens, they should be encouraged to grow and educate themselves because they have immense potential for the future Bangladesh. They need the support of the society and their families to grow with equal opportunity instead of throwing away all their potential,” she said.
Moni, a class-X student of Sultanpur Girls' High School in Kulaura, is a youth campaigner working under Dhaka Ahsania Mission's youth programmes, funded by Save the Children, Bangladesh.
Jahangir Hossain, programme coordinator of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, told The Daily Star over the phone that Moni was selected from about 180 children from all over Bangladesh to represent the country under the “Every One Campaign” in the UNGA.
Besides, advocating against child marriage, Moni would press for access to healthcare for every mother and child.
She would speak on issues regarding preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea in the forum. She would also raise the issue of drowning, a leading cause of death among children under the age of five in Bangladesh.
Our Moulvibazar correspondent contributed to the report.