Schoolgirls fight child marriage in Teesta char
Incidents of child marriages have significantly reduced on remote Char Sindurna on the Teesta in Hatibandha upazila under the district, thanks to the efforts of 25 schoolgirls.
They formed Teesta Shishu Dal about five months ago and caused a wind of change to sweep through the char, already preventing five child marriages in the area.
The students, mostly of classes VII to X, go door to door to make young girls and their guardians aware of the ramifications of child marriage.
The platform is part of Integrated Community Development Project-II of Eco Social Development Organisation (ESDO) funded by Plan International Bangladesh.
A community facilitator of ESDO goes to the char, four kilometres from Hatibandha upazila town, every week to train the girls.
“We will continue our activities until we achieve complete elimination of child marriage here,” said Maria Akhter, 14.
Beauty Akhter, a class-VIII student, said they struggle in their pursuit for education as there is no high school on the char and they have to go to a school in Sindurna union which is four kilometres away.
“Our parents are not interested in sending us to school but we are determined and we hope our parents will not suppress us,” she said.
Jasmine Khatun, 26, a community facilitator, said every week she briefs the students on how to conduct the campaign and sometimes accompanies them in their work.
Despite the campaign, three children were married off in secret lately, according to members of the Teesta Shishu Dal.
Jaheda Begum, 42, a parent, believes that it is better to marry off girls before they reach the age of 15. After that age, girls are likely get involved with someone.
“We have no entertainment facilities here. Most of our girls are not educated,” said Nabiar Rahman, another parent.
He admitted that Teesta Shishu Dal played a role in building awareness among them.
Hailing Teesta Shishu Dal, Nural Amin, chairman of Sindurna Union Parishad, said he was willing to help them to free the char of child marriage.