Nat`l alliance formed to stop child marriage

DHAKA, Sept 5: A new alliance--The Girls Not Brides Bangladesh Alliance -- was formed on Thursday with the hope to end child marriage in the country.

The alliance was formally launched at Brac Centre with its first national round table discussion.

The 13-member alliance, led by Brac, includes prominent organisations such as BLAST, CARE Bangladesh, Family Planning Association of Bangladesh, icddr,b, Marie Stops Bangladesh, National Girl Child Advocacy Forum, Plan Bangladesh, Population Council, White Ribbon Campaign, World Vision, and Youth Forum Promoting Access to Development.

Girls Not Brides: the Global Partnership to End Child Marriage is an international network of many development organisations working to end child marriage.

At present, there are 286 members in 53 countries in the network. Concerned about the often dangerous effects of child marriage, organisations in Bangladesh decided to strengthen the international network by forming the Girls Not Brides Bangladesh Alliance.

During the launching ceremony, Brac’s Vice Chairperson Ahmed Mustaqur Raza Chowdhury said child marriage is one of the biggest social problems in the country and a major violation of human rights for both young girls and boys.

Sultana Kamal, former advisor to a caretaker government and executive director of Ain O Shalish Kendra said, “If we work to abolish child marriage one village at a time, it is possible to eradicate it completely from our society.”

risingbd/sza