Addressing climate change may prevent child marriages: experts
Experts at a programme have linked child marriage to climate adversities such as rising sea levels, river erosion, increased rainfalls, floods and cyclones, which lead to internal displacement and loss of livelihoods.
At a programme titled, "Handicrafts Initiative", they said child marriage in the community of Cox's Bazar sea shore can be curbed by addressing the effects of climate change.
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, with the support of Unicef, jointly launched the programme of making toys by recycling abandoned clothes on the coastal area.
The closing ceremony took place on Tuesday in Cox Bazar, an area impacted by monsoons, cyclones, and floods.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran addressing the event as chief guest said the initiative is one of the great innovative programmes that help children become skilled through fun and games.
He said, "The eco-friendly toy-making programme is a tool to empower the community to prevent child marriages by working on recycling."
Dr Elisa Calpona, child protection manager at Unicef, said that rising sea levels, riverbank erosion, increased rainfalls, and monsoon and cyclones affected the communities causing internal displacement and loss of livelihoods, which makes children more vulnerable to violence, child marriage, and child labour.
"A concerted action is required to ensure the drivers and root causes of child rights violations are tackled. Unicef in partnership with the government of Bangladesh has proposed children become agents of social change and to work with their communities on recycling and sustainable interventions," she said.
She said Bangladesh ranked seventh on the list of countries most affected by climate-related hazards.
Comments