By Dr Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, July 4, 2023 (BSS) - Fathers clubs have been contributing a lot towards fighting against child marriage taking the social curse into special consideration in Rajshahi region.

 In different villages, the fathers clubs have been formed and a snake-ludo game is being arranged there to draw guardians of the girls aiming to teach them about the curse of early marriage through dialogue in disguise of playing.

 Twenty fathers' clubs have so far been formed with around 260 members while each of the clubs was constituted with 13 persons during the last couple of years.

 Each of the clubs was given ludu boards printed with seven negative messages linked to child marriage, while seventeen other positive ones on freeing the society from the social menace.

 Alauddin Ahmed, a father of Hamirkutsa village under Bagmara Upazila in Rajshahi, said they have got the scope of gathering and thinking about the physical and mental development of the girls instead of their early marriage.

.It's very helpful to know about the evils of child marriage through playing ludu. They are not arranging marriage for girls at an early age.

Ahmed said they are sending their daughters back to school. The conversation through ludo game has opened their eyes, inspiring many co-villagers to follow the ideal of stopping child marriage.

 Mominul Islam, another father of Nitpur village in Porsha Upazila of Naogaon district, said they are seeing the negative messages of child marriage when they are playing the snake-ladder ludu game.

 The villagers are also seen acquiring knowledge on protecting the society from child marriage, he said.
 
Islam said the initiative has been promoted on behalf of the recently phased out Public Health Improvement Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR) project to forge social resistance against child marriage through inspiring and encouraging fathers.

 "I have learnt a lot. I will make everyone in the society aware of stopping the child marriage," he added.

 
Mominul Islam said child marriages are taking place frequently in the rural areas due to lack of awareness and many other reasons.

     Sharing his concern over the issue, he said that they are giving special importance to it.

 The PHIIR project has been implemented at five upazila health complexes, 42 Union Health and Family Welfare Centres and Union Sub Center, five selected private facilities in five upazilas and 110 Community Clinics under Bagmara, Charghat and Tanore in Rajshahi and Porsha and Sapahar upazilas in Naogaon.

 DASCOH Foundation has implemented the project with technical and financial support of the Swiss Red Cross.

 Akramul Haque, Chief Executive Officer of DASCOH Foundation, said the main objective of the initiative was to reduce child marriage in community andpromote safe and proper care of adolescent by the Fathers.

 Besides, creating awareness about teenager's pregnancy and its complications besides preventing mortality and morbidity was also another objective.

 Haque said such type of fathers clubs should be formed in each of the communities for substantial and sustainable reduction of child marriage.

Prof Merina Khanom of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics said integrated efforts of both senior and junior citizens can be the best ways of ending child marriage for the sake of protecting maternal and neonatal health everywhere in the society.

 All the government and non-government organizations concerned and the community as a whole should come forward and work together to combat child marriage and child pregnancy as it's the precondition for improvement of child and maternal health.

Terming child marriage as gross violation of human rights Prof Khanom also said it is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of child marriage with the help of the mass media.