By Aynal Haque
RAJSHAHI, Sept 11, 2021 (BSS) - Fathers clubs have emerged to fight against
child marriage taking the social curse into special consideration in Rajshahi
region.
The fathers clubs have been formed in different villages and 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.
Fourteen fathers' clubs have so far been formed with 182 members while each
of the clubs was constituted with 13 persons during the last couple of
months.
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.
"We have got the scope of gathering and thinking about the physical and
mental development of the girls instead of their early marriage," said
Alauddin Ahmed, a father of Hamirkutsa village under Bagmara Upazila in
Rajshahi.
"It's very helpful to know about the evils of child marriage through
playing ludu. We will not arrange marriage for girls at an early age," he
said, while talking to BSS.
He will send his daughter back to school. The conversation through ludo
game has opened his 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.
He also said the Public Health Improvement Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR)
project has been promoting the initiative 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.
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 on it.
The PHIIR project is being 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 is implementing 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 and
promote 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 it's
another objective.
PHIIR Project Manager Tozammel Haque said such type of fathers clubs will
be formed in the entire project covering areas in phases.