Give special attention to teenage girls

Teenage girls need special attention from the families and state as they face various challenges including child marriage, sexual violence and deprivation of education, adolescents and population experts said.

They go through physical and mental changes at this age, but are often seen as burdens and married off early instead of providing them adequate education or awareness to face the challenges, they said.

Besides, they go through various health risks as they become pregnant at an early age and often give births to children who face malnourishment and do not make up a healthy and skilled workforce in latter life.

The observations came yesterday at a roundtable titled “Investing in Teenage Girls” jointly organised by the UNFPA and The Daily Star at the capital's The Daily Star Centre.

“We are often married off forcibly and early. We cannot adjust to the new families,” said Noor Konna Keya Moni, a teenage volunteer of the Bangladesh Association for Prevention of Septic Abortion (Bapsa).

Adolescents aged 10-19 years account for 36 million in Bangladesh and 59pc of girls get married before 18.

And, 31pc aged 15-19 get pregnant with their first child, according to the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2014. Significant number of child and maternal deaths is caused due to child marriage, experts said.

Nurn Nahar, another Bapsa volunteer, said, “Our voices are needed to be heard.”

Aminul Haque, associate professor of population sciences department of Dhaka University, said “Adolescents need respectful, empathetic and sympathetic attention.”

He said many parents have no adequate knowledge of guiding their teenage children and there is not a counsel for them in the schools.

Prof AKM Nurun Nabi, vice chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, said there is an ongoing discussion that the youths are getting derailed; but those who are guiding them are derailed.

Ubaidur Rob, country director of Population Council, said the ratio of boys and girls is quite similar up to SSC, but drops significantly at HSC level as the girls are mostly married off. Rob said lack of security in pursuing higher education is also a major reason.

He suggested that the authorities emphasise on technical and vocational education so girls can become financially independent.

M Shahidul Islam of UNFPA said more teenage girls are coming to the cities for education and job purposes, so the authorities need to pay attention to their health and security.

Lawmaker Nahim Razzaq suggested segment-wise programmes for the teenage girls – rural and urban, educated and uneducated, and married and unmarried. He emphasised on reducing communication gap between the parents and the adolescents.

The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam advised the adolescents to raise their voices constantly, assuring that the newspaper would highlight their concerns.

“You have to be strong in what you say of your rights and responsibility,” he said.

Dr Abul Hussain of the women ministry; Dr Maleka Banu of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad; Eshani Ruwanpura and Asma Akter of UNFPA; Jamil Hassan of Unicef; Shahnoor Wahid of The Daily Star; Saeda Khanam, Prajna Paramita Saha and Indrani Haque of Bangladesh Bank; M Imdadul Haque of Meghna Bank; Lipika Biswas and Shabnam Shahnaz of Plan International Bangladesh; Dr Jebun Nessa Rahman of Save the Children; Arpita Das of Manusher Jonno Foundation; Nur Quantum Naher of Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd; Ismat Jahan Mourry of Jamuna TV; Salma Jahan Rojoni and Putul Akter of Bapsa; also spoke.

Safian Morshed Chowdhury, Rowshon Akhter Urmee and Tasnim Jara of United Nations Youth Advisory Panel, Bangladesh, made a presentation, while public health expert Shamim Ahmed moderated the discussion.