Ending child marriage critical to achieving SDGs
Speakers at a national seminar yesterday said the prevalence of child marriage has been a bar to the country's economic development.
Proper implementation of law and generating awareness among people will help eradicate child marriage in the country, they said.
Development organisation Population Services and Training Center (PSTC) arranged the seminar on “Ending Child Marriage Critical to Achieving SDGs” at the capital's Lakeshore Hotel.
Presenting a keynote paper on the topic at the opening session, Prof Mohammad Mainul Islam, chairman of the department of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, said that two major factors behind prevalence of child marriage in the country are poverty and lack of proper education.
The other reasons are linked to dowry and social security, he said.
Adolescent contribution in total fertility rate is also alarming, he added.
Speaking as chief guest, Mahmuda Sharmin Benu, additional secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said recommendations generated from the seminar will help the government formulate policies in future.
Noor Mohammad, executive director of PSTC, and Annie Vestjns, first secretary, SRHR and Gender of the Netherlands embassy in Dhaka, among others, spoke at the opening session.
In the second session, Richard Lace, country director of BBC Media Action, spoke on the role of social media to eradicate child marriage, according to a press release.
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