Empowering girls to stand up to child marriage
Above: 16-year-old Kohinoor convinced her parents to delay her marriage after learning about her rights at a Community Based Youth Club, supported through the AHP response in Bangladesh. Photo: Ahmad Ullah Al Azad/Plan Bangladesh
Above: Kohinoor*, in black, with her family. Her parents now respect her decision to wait until she is 18 to marry. Photo: Ahmad Ullah Al Azad/Plan Bangladesh
For 16-year-old Kohinoor*, community-based child protection and education mechanisms supported by the Australian Humanitarian Partnership response in Bangladesh have empowered her to stand up to her parents and refuse a child marriage.
Above: Kohinoor* assists her younger brother with his school work, after accessing informal education through an AHP-supported Community Based Youth Club. Photo: Ahmad Ullah Al Azad/Plan Bangladesh
Kohinoor’s family of eight live in a small village in Cox’s Bazar, and her mother is the sole breadwinner due to her father having a physical disability. Her mother works as a day labourer in agriculture to afford the family’s essentials. However, their conservative community does not respect women working outside of their homes, adding to the family’s challenges.
Kohinoor’s elder three sisters are already married, leaving her as the eldest girl in the family. Due to poverty, Kohinoor stopped going to school in the fourth grade.
Through the AHP response, Friends of Village Development Foundation (FIVDB) established a Community Based Youth Club in Kohinoor’s region, with technical support from Plan International Bangladesh. Facilitators and volunteers reached out to nearby communities to encourage involvement of children and youth who had dropped out of education.
Kohinoor’s family was identified as being particularly vulnerable, and her parents were encouraged to enrol her in the club. Through club activities, Kohinoor started to learn about child protection, child rights, gender equality and other protection topics.
“I like to going [to youth club] every day as I have opportunity to befriend the other girls and engage them with playing like pillow passing, Ludo etc. In the club we learn about life skills,” Kohinoor said.
Facing extreme financial pressure, Kohinoor’s parents decided that she would be married, to ease their living expenses.
When Kohinoor became aware that her parents had decided to marry her off, she shared this with the facilitator of her youth group and made clear that she was not ready for marriage at such an early age.
The facilitor visited the family to discuss the risks of child marriage, making the case for Kohinoor’s decision. The facilitator also engaged the local Community Based Child Protection Committee, also supported by FIVDB, who invited her parents to a meeting where they convinced them she was too young for marriage. Kohinoor’s parents joined in positive parenting and other education sessions through the group on the dangers of child marriage, adolescent health care and family planning.
“I learned that from the youth club that no children should marry before 18. We learned a lot about gender, safe spaces and communication skills. I spoke to my parents when they decided to marry me off. I told them that I am not ready to marry yet. I want to study more at the youth club,” Kohinoor said.
After her parents decided to stop the marriage, Kohinoor become actively involved with the youth club and other community activities. Along with other girls at the club, she helped to stop two other child marriages in the community. She has also become a member of the youth club’s advisory group, taking a leadership role in improving the club. Now that she has access to informal education, she is also able to help her younger brother with his studies.
Her parents also respect Kohinoor’s decision to not marry until she is 18 years old. They now want Kohinoor to become more empowered and educated.
“I am happy to share that I like how my daughter is learning the life skills and numeracy lessons from the club,” her father said. “I am willing to enroll my younger children in the youth club once they reach the age category.”
This activity was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership and implemented by the CARE-led consortium with Oxfam and Plan International.
*Name changed