9 year-old girl avoids her early marriage

The simple incident took place at remote Dakhin Bhabanipur village in Bheramara upazila.

Nine-year old Shilpi Khatun is a student of class four at Dakhin Bhabanipur Primary School. Her poor peasant father Yunus Ali had arranged her marriage with 23- year old neighbour Ijan Ali.

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Shilpi did not agree to the marriage but dared not to protest. The marriage was scheduled for Saturday evening.

On Thursday, Shilpi went to school as usual and narrated the matter to her friends. Her classmates Parveen, Rita, Itee and some others went to the office of a local NGO, Uddipon, and asked its officials to do something.

The NGO officials with some villagers led by Dharampur Union Parishad Chairman Arman Hossain requested Shilpi's father to stop the marriage. He agreed and informed Ijan Ali. But Ijan was determined to marry Shilpi.

Shilpi's neighbours then came and warned him not to proceed further and threatened of legal action for non-compliance. Being afraid, sIjan fled home.

Uddipon official Sahidul Islam later told this correspondent that Shilpi had attended its pre-school progarmme years back, when she learnt about the curse of child marriage and dowry.