Students vow to resist child marriage

Students of Changmari High School and Champatali High School in Badarganj upazila of the district have vowed to launch a social movement to eradicate child marriage.

Over 700 male and female students of these educational institutions made the commitments at separate rallies held at their respective schools yesterday. They also formed a human chain on Rangpur-Badarganj road in the upazila headquarters. 

Non-governmental organisation Brac arranged the programme that included discussion, essay and quiz competitions on the adverse impact of child marriage on the society. 

Teachers of the schools, members of the schools' management committees and officials of Brac also took part in the programme.

Thanking the students for taking such a pledge, speakers narrated the reasons behind this social curse that has engulfed the society, especially the poorer section, for decades. It creates unrest in family life and society, they said. 

They called upon the guardians not to arrange any child marriage and free the upazila from the curse. This can be done through collective initiatives and rectifying the past mistakes, they added. 

Md Hasinuzzaman, headmaster of Changmari High School, said the girls vowed not to agree to early marriage and also to conduct campaign to eradicate it from the area.

Sazaduzzaman Chowdhury, senior district manager of Brac, put especial emphasis on involving the students, teachers, parents,

marriage registrars, public representatives and civil society members for launching vigorous social movement to eliminate the curse from the society.