Barishal in the dark, girl children on the brink of destruction.

The sustainable development of a country depends on the equal participation of men and women. Women make up a large part of our total population. Keeping this major part of society behind, we can never build a developed nation. Therefore, to move forward, we must first recognize the importance and rights of women. A woman is never a burden to her family. But our patriarchal society, extreme poverty and superstition have artificially made her a burden. This bitter truth is still visible in the remote areas of Barishal district. Even today, when a girl child is born there, a sigh of fear is heard more than joy. In the 21st century, this is a shame for our civilization.The root of this mentality is lack of education, poverty and misinterpretation of religion. In our families, the main concern is not to make a girl self-reliant, but how quickly she can be married off. In many families, primary education is given to a girl only to find a good groom. Where education should liberate the mind, female education has become a cheap product in the marriage market.The common thought is, “The girl will go to another house, so what is the benefit of investing in her.” This medieval thought is the main reason for child marriage. A son is considered a future source of income, so long-term investment is made in him. But a daughter is not given that opportunity. This cycle of poverty becomes more complex due to indifference to birth control. The same families who consider a daughter a burden due to poverty, continue to give birth to one child after another. They say, “He who has given the mouth, will give the food,” and thus avoid their own responsibility. In this way, the vicious cycle of poverty continues from generation to generation.Insecurity is also a major reason behind this dark reality. In remote areas, guardians are afraid to send their daughters outside due to eve-teasing and sexual harassment. They think that early marriage will ensure the girl’s social security. But they do not understand that forcing an underage girl into marriage pushes her into lifelong insecurity. Misuse of information technology is also being added to this. Due to lack of awareness, immature emotional relationships are formed among rural adolescents, which quickly turn into child marriage out of shame. Here, our counseling system and moral education have failed.
According to the law of Bangladesh, the minimum age of marriage for girls is 18 years. But according to medical science, the safest age for motherhood is 20 to 30 years, when the body is fully developed. However, in the remote areas of Barishal, girls are married at the age of 14-15 and become mothers of multiple children before the age of 18-19. Although there is a law, its effectiveness is questionable. The biggest tool for violating the law is fake birth registration. When it is decided to marry off a minor girl, her age is increased to 18 overnight through fake online birth registration with the help of some dishonest operators. And this entire process survives on bribery. Child marriage prevention committees become helpless in the face of money and the lobbying of local influential people.The most brutal consequences fall on the life of the teenage girl. At the age when she should be immersed in books, the responsibility of an entire unknown family falls on her shoulders. Her own body is still growing and malnourished. As a result, early pregnancy puts her at risk of anemia, eclampsia, fistula and high maternal mortality. Her child is also born severely malnourished.
Mentally, she is still a child herself, but she has to take responsibility for another child. So she suffers from severe mental pressure, neglect from her in-laws and depression, and loses her self-confidence forever. Our economic structure is also equally responsible for this plight. In remote areas, safe employment opportunities for women are very limited. As a result, even after finishing her studies, when a girl stays at home, the family again starts to consider her a burden. If small and cottage industries, technical education and training for women entrepreneurs were ensured at the local level, these girls could have become the economic pillars of their families. The durability of these unequal marriages is also very low. Divorce occurs quickly due to dowry torture and family conflicts. But the tragedy does not end there. After divorce, society does not stand by the girl but blames her. And the family, out of shame and poverty, forces her into a second marriage again. The girl is treated not as a human being, but as a product transferred from one house to another. Therefore, this disease will not be cured only by strict enforcement of law. A combined social awakening is needed. Firstly, the actual implementation of the law must be ensured by bringing those involved in fake birth registration and bribery under severe punishment. Secondly, a change in attitude is urgent. We must come out of the ingrained mentality of thinking of a daughter as someone else’s property. Women’s equal rights to property must be ensured, which will give her a strong position in the family. In this fight, teachers, public representatives and the youth must work together and take an oath to build a child-marriage-free area in every village. A daughter should not be considered a burden, but should be given the opportunity to stand on her own feet through proper education. The day when the birth of a girl child will be welcomed not with apprehension, but with the joy of building an independent future, that day our independence will achieve its true meaning.

About the Author:-
Name: Mithila Jashim Tonni.
Department: Bangla
Student, Eden Mohila College.
Mobile: 01614510294
Email: mithilajasim@gmail.com