Adolescent girls must be educated to fulfil SDGs

Adolescent girls must be provided with proper education, healthcare and other necessary opportunities to ensure their participation in the national economy as well as to achieve sustainable development goals , said speakers at a roundtable in Bogra town yesterday.

The roundtable on "Power of the adolescent girls: vision for 2030" was arranged jointly by The Daily Star and The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at Hotel Naz Garden.

Addressing as chief guest, lawmaker Md Habibur Rahman said guardians, teachers and political leaders should work together to stop child marriage in the country to pave the way of progress for the adolescent girls in order to include Bangladesh in the list of middle-income countries by 2021.

According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey-2014, South Asia has the highest adolescent fertility rate which is 113 per 1,000 live births to women aged between 15 and 19 while Bangladesh has a higher adolescent birth rate than Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia and India.

Superintendent of Police Md Asaduzzaman said girls should be given the chance to complete their education and flourish their potentials while violence against them should be stopped for enabling them to share family and other responsibilities equally.

There are many families which still prioritise sons over daughters and also neglect them. Such mentality should be changed, said speakers.

Media personality Jamil Ahmed moderated the event while National Programme Officer of UNFPA Dr Md Munir Hossain presented the key-note paper at the event attended by many government officials, NGO members, and civil society representatives.