UNICEF defines child marriage as the marriage or “informal union” of a girl or boy younger than the age of 18. According to a UNICEF report, Bangladesh currently holds the fourth-highest rate of child marriage worldwide and the highest prevalence in the Asian region. Though child marriage rates are on the decline in South Asia, with an 18% drop from 1985 to 2010, it is still common for young females aged 15-18 to enter into unions. However, with the help of programs that the UNICEF headed, child marriage in Bangladesh is declining.
Child Marriage in Bangladesh
A 2016 brief by the World Bank has approximated that, in Bangladesh, six in 10 women still marry “early.” To be precise, 59.4% of women currently aged 18-22 entered into unions before reaching their 18th birthday. According to the brief, on average, these women were just 15.8 years old at the time of marriage. Moreover, 0.5% of these women married before the age of 12.
Such high rates of child marriage in Bangladesh are the result of a combination of economic and social practices; in communities where marrying young is most prevalent, girls and young women are treated as subordinate to their male counterparts. Infringing on a child’s “right to free and full consent,” as a result of religious and/or cultural practices, or even in exchange for a social or economic imperative, brings about severe consequences.
Marriage at a young age increases a child’s “risk for physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse.” Not only is child marriage a humanitarian issue but it also contributes to delayed economic development. Child marriage often arises as a consequence of poverty — impoverished families seeking economic relief by marrying off their daughters. Child marriage consequently also contributes to poverty rates by eliminating working potential.
Approximately 38 million child brides live in Bangladesh, according to a 2020 UNICEF report, and the World Bank estimates that national poverty rates in Bangladesh reached nearly 40 million in 2016, showing a clear correlation between child marriage and poverty.
With child brides not having access to educational opportunities and their own “decision-making power,” Bangladesh is eliminating a potential working class.
Action to Reduce Child Marriage
With the intervention of actionable programs, like UNICEF’s Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, which responds to the complexities of child marriage practices, rates are on the decline.
In 2016, UNICEF and the UNFPA launched the Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage to address the issue in the countries with the highest rates of child marriage, including Bangladesh.
The program “promotes the rights of adolescent girls to avert marriage and pregnancy and enables them to achieve their aspirations through education and alternative pathways,” the UNICEF website explains. On a household level, the program works to change attitudes about child marriage and the status of girls in society. On a broader, legislative level, the program advocates for legislation and policies that uphold the human rights of girls and encourages data-informed approaches to the development of such policies.
In 2021, 480 child journalists in Bangladesh, with girls accounting for 50% of this team, received skills training and tools from UNICEF to create videos to raise awareness on “child marriage, gender equality and girls’ empowerment.” The country’s “first-ever children’s online news platform” broadcasted the video content.
A Child Helpline and Conditional Cash Transfers
One way UNICEF’s program intervenes in the issue of child marriage in Bangladesh is through a toll-free national helpline, which it established with the Bangladesh government in 2015. In April 2020, the child helpline received 450 calls related to cases of child marriages.
The helpline saved Yesmin, a child bride, on the day of her marriage. After facing harassment from an “older man,” her family arranged her marriage as a means of protecting her. Upon receiving an anonymous tip of her arranged union through the helpline, police came to the scene, negotiating with her father to call off the marriage. In a UNICEF report, Yesmin shared, “I was so happy when I realized it wasn’t going ahead after all.”
UNICEF also offers conditional cash transfers to households that are at high risk of pushing their children into child marriages. UNICEF provides the grants on the condition that girls stay in school, do not marry and do not engage in child labor. Parents must also attend UNICEF educational sessions focusing on the negative impacts of child marriage.
In treating and supporting young girls equitably, the program boosts girls’ decision-making power and independence — qualities child marriage deprives young brides of.
By focusing on educating community members on the consequences of child marriages, supporting those betrothed as children and addressing gender discrimination, Bangladesh is on the way to effectively ending child marriage. With the work of UNICEF, a world of opportunities is opening for the youth that would otherwise come to an abrupt end as a result of child marriage.
– Micaella Balderrama
Photo: Flickr
The Inspiring Economic Development of Bangladesh
After gaining independence in 1971, Bangladesh was described as a “basket case” and a collapsing and fragile state as it emerged from the war as the second poorest country in the world. At the time, Bangladesh was a war-torn agrarian economy with a number of human development challenges with dwindling productive assets and weak infrastructure. However, Bangladesh proved the international community wrong as they emerged victorious and resilient in their pursuit of economic development, particularly after the 1974 famine.
The World’s Fastest-Growing Economy
Economic development in Bangladesh in the past 50 years has been impressive, with GDP per capita rising to $2,734 in 2021 from $134 in 1971. Bangladesh quickly recovered from the aftermath of its War of Independence as one of the poorest countries in the world to achieve a steady growth rate, even during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two decades, extreme poverty has significantly declined by more than half, dropping from 34% in 2000 to just 11% in 2022. In addition, other key indicators of human well-being, such as maternal mortality rates, life expectancy and primary and secondary education attainment have also shown significant improvement.
One important factor is that almost all children go to school, with the primary school net enrolment rate at 97%. Moreover, more women continue to enroll in schools, and thus enter the workforce, contributing to growth in a wide range of economic sectors. Consequently, maternal mortality cases decreased significantly from 2000 to 2017, from 434 live births per 100,000 to 173.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh still found a way to prosper. Households saw improvements in regard to coping strategies and food security amidst the pandemic, and according to self-reported surveys, families residing in poor and slum areas of Dhaka and Chittagong experienced substantial improvement in their food security. This was linked to an increase in employment opportunities observed between two rounds of surveys conducted. Survey results also indicated a general improvement in the labor market and employment situation in 2022.
How Did They Do It?
There were several factors that contributed to the economic development of Bangladesh, particularly in the agricultural sector of the country. Following the birth of the nation in the 1970s, Bangladeshi scientists helped successfully implement innovations in crop varieties that made the country self-sufficient in food. Advancements in sustainable food production practices, despite the difficulties posed by frequent flooding, have been instrumental in combating hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
Furthermore, Bangladesh became the second largest exporter of ready-made garment (RMG) products in the world which greatly increased employment in the manufacturing sector. The growth of RMG also benefitted female labor, as the number of women entering the workforce increased to 35% in 2021, from 21% in 1990. Clean energy also became more accessible for the 8.2 million people living in the rural parts of Bangladesh, with every home having access to electricity. These improvements led to increases in immigration and the nation saw an increase in economic contributions from migrant workers.
Partnership with the World Bank
In 1972, the World Bank saw potential in Bangladesh, beginning a partnership by investing a $50 million credit. This turned into more than $38 billion in financing for economic development in Bangladesh over the following years. Today, the World Bank is Bangladesh’s largest external funder. The decision to continue funding centered around Bangladesh’s impressive achievements and the necessary actions required to maintain Bangladesh’s progress toward its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031.
Despite these accomplishments, the current challenges of high inflation and declining foreign exchange reserves challenge the notion of stable macroeconomic performance in the country. Furthermore, concerns persist about the nature of growth and its impact on the population. Roughly 24.3% of the population struggles to fulfill basic necessities and the wealthiest 5% hold 27.8% of the nation’s income.
Nonetheless, the impressive economic development and poverty reduction in Bangladesh are inspiring. However, to achieve high-income status and meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), significantly increased efforts toward inclusive growth are necessary.
– Noura Matalqa
Photo: Flickr
Human Trafficking in Mauritius
The United States Department of State ranks the island nation of Mauritius as a Tier 2 country in 2022 in terms of efforts to eradicate human trafficking. This rank, unchanged from 2021, means the “Government of Mauritius does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”
5 Facts About Human Trafficking in Mauritius
Looking Ahead
Regardless of the challenges, according to the U.S. Department of State, the Mauritian government showed positive efforts against trafficking. These include increased services for identified child trafficking victims, working alongside a global organization to “renovate a shelter and repatriate foreign victims identified in previous years,” educating migrant workers on how to identify situations of trafficking and “reconvening the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Trafficking in Persons (IMCTIP) after it was inactive for two years,” the U.S. Department of State website says.
Though human trafficking is an issue of concern in Mauritius, the government is implementing strong measures to ensure the nation’s most vulnerable citizens are protected from trafficking and exploitation.
– Saad Haque
Photo: Flickr
The Akon Lighting Africa Project Brings Electricity to Africa
Akon, a U.S.-Senegalese rapper whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, grew up in a rural town in Senegal and spent much of his childhood without electricity. He personally faced the challenges of living off the grid, from limited educational and career opportunities to health and quality of life concerns. In 2014, Akon launched the “Akon Lighting Africa” project to help Africans access low-cost yet sustainable energy through solar power. Understanding the affordability of solar power, Akon’s solar project aimed to bring much-needed electricity to more communities in Africa.
Electricity Access in Africa
According to the World Bank in 2022, millions of Africans still do not have access to electricity. “West Africa has one of the lowest rates of electricity access in the world; only about 42% of the total population and 8% of rural residents have access to electricity,” the World Bank says.
Akon founded the solar project in partnership with two visionary co-founders, Thione Niang, a passionate Senegalese political activist, and Samba Bathily, a successful entrepreneur and CEO of solar company Solektra International. The co-founders understand that rural African communities require more than just temporary aid from foreign donors. They believe in empowering these communities with “affordable renewable energy delivered by fully trained African professionals managing for-profit projects that bring longevity, generate jobs and build new self-sustaining economies,” the Guardian reports.
Benefits of Akon’s Solar Project
In the first year of operation, Akon Lighting Africa brought solar energy to 14 African nations through street lights and solar panels. The project has made a significant difference in the communities it targets. Solar electricity is allowing vendors with outside businesses to operate for longer hours, children are able to study after dark and crime rates are decreasing due to the visibility that solar-powered street lighting provides.
As of 2016, the project had made significant progress toward its goal of providing solar-powered electricity to 250 million people on the African continent by 2030. With the installation of 1 million solar-powered street lights in 480 communities across 16 nations and the establishment of 1,200 solar microgrids and 5,500 job opportunities, the project is well on its way to fulfilling its mission. By 2020, Akon Lighting Africa had provided solar energy to 25 nations and about 28.8 million Africans in need.
A Vision of Sustainability for the Future
The singer has also expressed his vision of building a futuristic city in Senegal, called Akon City, powered entirely by sustainable energy. The city, which will feature everything from homes to hotels, schools and even an airport, will embody the principles of sustainable development and futuristic design. Akon also intends to build a $1 billion hospital with 5,000 beds among its many amenities.
The Akon Lighting Africa project is dedicated to improving lives in sub-Saharan Africa by partnering with local governments, companies and nonprofits to bring accessible solar energy systems to families, hospitals and schools. With 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population being younger than 30, creating sustainable jobs is crucial in many communities. To achieve this, in 2015, the project launched the Solar Academy in Bamako, Mali’s capital city, where young people from all over Africa receive training to become skilled professionals in the solar energy sector, for example, by gaining skills to build and maintain solar energy equipment.
The Akon Lighting Africa project is a great example of how investing in renewable energy can create jobs and bring electricity to people who need it. The project is bringing electricity to Africa by working with Chinese manufacturers of solar-powered products to provide affordable solar power to more Africans. This project is a great example of using renewable resources to create sustainable benefits.
– Frida Sendoro
Photo: Flickr
3 Ways to Expand Health Care in Africa
“Africa, which accounts for almost 17% of the world’s population, represents only 3% of global drug production,” the World Economic Forum stated. With the ongoing poverty issues in Africa, the country has been at a disadvantage in terms of providing adequate health care to its citizens. For example, with the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa was last in line to access vaccines and PPE to stop the spread of the virus. Africa needs to consider ways to expand health care. After all, inadequate health care in Africa plays a big role in the deaths that various diseases cause each year.
Poverty prevents others from considering countries as important as they should be which leads to many disadvantages. However, hope still exists as there are many ways to expand health care such as through private-sector engagement, a streamlined regulatory environment and strong coordination across the manufacturing ecosystem. Despite these ways, global support is one of the biggest factors to strengthen global health security.
Private Sector Engagement
A private sector business refers to a business that private individuals run rather than the government. Although it may be hard to develop a fully functional business in Africa due to insufficient resources, individuals can start a business in another country that has enough resources and supply its products to African citizens or even promote “made in Africa” products. According to the World Economic Forum, despite the costs that may arise when trying to help other people, international organizations can advocate for support from the government and could potentially collect donations to support a good cause.
Finances are not as big an issue to expand health care in Africa, but rather a lack of motivation in individuals to find ways to engage in the private sector to advocate for a cause. Individuals typically depend on the public sector to fund and increase accessibility to health care but, it is not enough to meet the demands of millions of people, especially during a global crisis.
Streamlined Regulatory Environment
With drug manufacturing and distribution, a streamlined regulatory system needs to be present in order to ensure all manufacturers follow regulations to provide safety and quality among the products. To date, Africa has not adopted a streamlined system which has led to weak and misaligned policies ultimately, making the process of product manufacturing to be very inefficient and ineffective by lengthening the process by four to seven years.
Despite this, a newly developed organization African Medicines Agency (AMA) aims to strengthen the policies regarding product/drug manufacturing by having regulatory authorities. Supporting this organization would inherently mean high-quality local products such as drugs and other health care products would reach the people that are in most need. However, this organization has gained support from only 23 out of 55 African countries, the World Economic Forum reported. Full ratification would allow the adoption of a streamlined regulatory environment that makes access to health care in Africa much more efficient and safe.
Strong Coordination Across the Manufacturing Ecosystem
To support the population of more than 1 billion people in the continent of Africa, “strong coordination across the manufacturing ecosystem” is necessary, according to the World Economic Forum. Manufacturers need to work together to ensure enough products are available for everyone to use. In order to develop such an ecosystem, understanding the current capacities of production is essential in order to grow and develop products that may require additional resources to produce. For example, manufacturing and producing drugs may not be a possibility in some parts of Africa in which considerations and goals need to emerge to develop such facilities in the future to increase products to meet the demands of all citizens.
The African Union and the Africa CDC’s Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing Framework for Action are some examples of frameworks to boost manufacturing in Africa. Partnering with motivated organizations that have plans to help out with broader health care access can help Africa ensure that the basic needs of all citizens are met in an organized and effective manner.
Support in expanding health care in Africa could reduce the impact that a lack of accessibility to health care. However, more emphasis and adoption of certain approaches in necessary to obtain better health care for individuals.
– Parth Patel
Photo: Flickr
A Beacon of Hope for Mental Health in Albania
It is safe to say that the small nation of Albania, like many of its neighboring countries, has a major issue with mental health care. For instance, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.8% of its population suffers from anxiety disorders. At the present time, Albania seems to have a very unstable and corrupt public health care system as a whole. People who had grown up within the confines of the once communist infrastructure and mindset, including clinical psychologist Sonila Sejdaras, have testified to have experienced it both during their teen years in communist Albania and postwar “chaos, violence and political upheaval bringing it to near civil war” in the 1990s. Case in point, findings later indicated that the current state of the country, both in a totalitarian and post-totalitarian state, caused widespread mental and emotional trauma in a handful of Albanian citizens.
Action Plan for the Development of Mental Health Services
Since 2013, the Action Plan for the Development of Mental Health Services has had two major strategic objectives, which include: decentralization of mental health services through augmentation of services that already exist and controlling the number of psychiatric ward beds while simultaneously enhancing mental health units throughout each individual community, with NGO programs such as D and E (Different and Equal).
The central government is also hiring more people to oversee a more direct “change of scene” for human beings from hospitalization to ensuring that they get the right treatment by living freely with normalized citizens’ rights. Research shows that because of Albania’s relatively small size and, thusly, limited numbers of bureaucratic agencies and organizations, regulation systems and governance departments for mental health in Albania must go through bigger organizations in other locations.
A BDA/MedCOI report states that virtually all Albanian mental institutions in slightly smaller cities such as Elbasan do not treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which obviously is not the case in the West. The hospital board members seem to think that mental institutions should be in “community centers” in places that have them, such as Tirana.
Human Trafficking: A Big Epidemic
The equally looming practice of human trafficking is a big epidemic in the country that still persists today and definitely interlopes with its mental health crisis. It is noteworthy above all else that Albania continues to serve as one of the entry points from the Western European bloc as it is one of more than 80 countries, along with Romania, Poland and Nigeria, that serve as a midway entry point for the Western European transportation of victims to the U.K.
Even worse, the country has a problem within its own borders of young women experiencing trafficking at an early age. Part of the responsibility lies within the officials who have the authority to investigate and put a stop to these crimes, according to reports from the U.S. State Department. This is almost certainly a top contributing factor to Albania’s gargantuan mental health crisis. In a broad psychological sense, there are many proofs that these practices have been the main culprit for suicidal ideation and PTSD albeit some medical facilities not recognizing it, according to the Action Plan.
On a similar note, data on Albanian crime and the direct correlation between said crime and severe mental health diagnoses is practically nonexistent because of the many limitations, such as “impeding” the reintegration of the victims because of “a lack of state social services, a lack of financial stability, problems accessing justice and a weak bureaucracy.”
Online Counseling Program
It seems as though Albania is one of the listed countries “that lies within 76% to 85% of people with severe mental disorders who do not receive treatment for their mental disorders.” According to data from 2020, Albania has “the lowest number of doctors and nurses per capita in Europe” and “at least 765 Albanian doctors are working in Germany.” These statistics are shocking because the Albanian economy has actually had its employment rate grow by 3.4% in 2021, but its health care system still struggles with underfunding.
The spread of COVID-19 in 2020 was the icing on the cake for making a dire global mental health situation even direr. At the same time, it did seem like a blessing in disguise because the Albanian Government acted swiftly during this global state of emergency by establishing an exclusively online counseling program that Foundation Together Albania (FTA) sponsored through Mental Health Europe.
Within two weeks of the implementation of the lockdown, this website experienced a 50% increase in traffic. The features included chats with mental health professionals and 24/7 emergency online intervention tools. Most notably, the users that contributed to that increase brought up issues such as anxiety, job loss, depression and relationship crises. These are the kinds of programs and approaches that go towards efforts to fund and raise awareness about mental health in Albania and should have frequent presentations to the public.
The Future
Mental health in Albania is a serious issue, but also a problem that authorities largely ignore. Albanian culture is overly stuck in a tradition that the government fails to recognize depression and anxiety as serious illnesses. At this point in time, NGOs and online counseling through FTA could be the solutions in terms of helpful collectives and organizations.
Albania is an example of a country that is going through a period of “post-socialism,” which, in turn, indicates the status of its health care system, which ties back to the lackluster funding. In 2012, Albania passed a new mental health law, Law No. 44, which shines a light on the variables that make sure that people receive proper mandated health care, and “the provision of a social environment suited for persons with mental health disorders,” which would amount to more than just institutions.
– Robin Kalellis
Photo: Flickr
Everything To Know About Infant Mortality in Afghanistan
When a child dies before his or her first birthday, that is a case of infant mortality. This statistic is most commonly measured in the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births and gives insight into the general health of mothers and babies in a particular area. Here is information about infant mortality in Afghanistan.
One of the Highest in the World
Globally, as of 2020, Afghanistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates, with 45 deaths out of every 1,000 live births within the first year of life. For comparison, the infant mortality rate in Switzerland is only four deaths per 1,000 live births.
Inadequate Health Care and More
The extremely high infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is largely due to inadequate access to health care for women and mothers. Women often have to give birth at home without a doctor or with non-skilled birth attendants, which harms the baby’s chances at life. Not only is there a lack of health care professionals, but there is a lack of health care facilities in Afghanistan as well. More than 10% of Afghans have to travel more than two hours to reach a medical facility, leaving a lot of mothers in an unsanitary birthing environment. On top of that, illness, infection and poor nutrition couple together to create a rough environment for a newborn baby.
The Impact of the Taliban
With the recent laws the Taliban implemented since 2021, women have even more restrictions on receiving prenatal and postpartum care. According to Frontline, women are no longer allowed to travel more than 45 minutes without a male guardian, meaning that reaching medical facilities is nearly impossible for most women. In some cases, the law prohibits women from even receiving treatment from a male doctor unless their male escort is there, leaving a lot of women feeling shame or embarrassed to discuss their reproductive care in that setting.
Humanitarian Efforts
While all of these facts do not leave much hope for the infant mortality rates in Afghanistan to lower, UNICEF and the U.N. are currently working together to lower infant mortality rates.
One way of doing so is by providing necessary vaccines to newborn babies. Secondly, education is an invaluable resource. UNICEF specifically works with Afghan women to learn how to take care of themselves and their babies, so that they both can stay healthy. This involves getting to a proper medical facility for the birth, accessing methods to prevent future unwanted pregnancies and the provision of impactful interventions such as zinc and oral rehydration solution co-packs for the treatment of diarrhea at similar ailments affecting infants.
By combining these different approaches, groups like UNICEF and the United Nations hope to help lower maternal and infant mortality rates in Afghanistan. Hopefully, with continued efforts from humanitarian groups, more babies will be able to live past infancy and experience life to the fullest. It will be a hard battle due to the recent takeover of the Taliban but if these efforts continue, change will surely follow.
– Evelyn Breitbach
Photo: Flickr
Scholarships for Students from War-Torn Countries
According to the United Nations, “100 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.” Many of these individuals have lost their chances of obtaining a higher education. In particular, three universities are offering scholarships for students from war-torn countries.
HEC Paris
The HEC Foundation and HEC Paris created “HEC Imagine Fellows” in October 2021 — a scholarship program for students from war-torn countries. The two-year-long program helps students pursue a master’s degree in management. Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and joint-CEO of Mirakl and graduate of HEC Paris, funded “HEC Imagine Fellows.” HEC Paris greeted its first enrollment of students at the beginning of the 2022 academic year.
HEC Paris believes that promoting “diversity, intercultural comprehension and tolerance” between its students from different cultural backgrounds will create more peace in the world. For this reason, the scholarship program will choose successful applicants based not only on their academic excellence but also on their interest in intercultural understanding and peace.
During the academic course Business & Peace, students will examine the role that private businesses may play in helping to keep peace and stability in areas that have experienced violence or war. In Business for Peace & Development, applicants will explore how private businesses could collaborate with NGOs in post-conflict areas to “support integrated growth, climate, and biodiversity initiatives,” Bloomberg says.
In Public Policy & Social Responsibility, students will research the problems with child labor in underdeveloped and conflict-torn countries and propose ways to reduce its occurrence. HEC Paris has made it a priority to cover the yearly tuition of approximately 10 students from conflict-ridden countries.
Columbia University
Columbia University established Scholarship for Displaced Students as an attempt to assist foreign students who cannot finish their higher education studies due to conflict or other types of danger in their home countries. As a sign of Columbia’s support, the university will award these students “up to full tuition, housing and living assistance while pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees across all 19 Columbia schools and affiliates,” Columbia Global Centers reports.
Annually, the program will provide up to $6 million in funding to each cohort of around 30 students. Schools, the scholarship program and student organizations at Columbia will offer mentoring and assistance to these refugee students. The scholarship program has already helped 33 students from 19 nations to further their studies in 14 educational institutions. The scholarship has no age limitations but there are eligibility requirements.
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester Humanitarian Scholarships came about at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, but extends to “any international applicant who has been displaced because of armed conflict or is at serious risk of persecution or violence due to race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion,” its website says. As many as 20 refugee students will receive a fully funded scholarship. The university provided “10 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate-taught” positions in the initial year and covered tuition, living expenses and visas. The estimated annual operating cost of the scheme is £5 million.
People who are currently residing outside of the U.K. and those who have sought asylum in the U.K. are eligible to apply to the university. The program requirements are flexible. Apart from the University of Manchester Humanitarian Scholarships, the university also provides other scholarships as a part of its social responsibility agenda. For example, there are Equity and Merit Scholarships for sub-Saharan African students and Undergraduate Access Scholarships for “U.K. applicants who have been in care or estranged,” its website says.
Education should be accessible to everyone who is willing to learn and expand their knowledge and war or persecution should not limit this. For this reason, scholarships for students from war-torn countries are necessary and essential.
– Elizaveta Medvedkina
Photo: Flickr
Child Marriage in Bangladesh
UNICEF defines child marriage as the marriage or “informal union” of a girl or boy younger than the age of 18. According to a UNICEF report, Bangladesh currently holds the fourth-highest rate of child marriage worldwide and the highest prevalence in the Asian region. Though child marriage rates are on the decline in South Asia, with an 18% drop from 1985 to 2010, it is still common for young females aged 15-18 to enter into unions. However, with the help of programs that the UNICEF headed, child marriage in Bangladesh is declining.
Child Marriage in Bangladesh
A 2016 brief by the World Bank has approximated that, in Bangladesh, six in 10 women still marry “early.” To be precise, 59.4% of women currently aged 18-22 entered into unions before reaching their 18th birthday. According to the brief, on average, these women were just 15.8 years old at the time of marriage. Moreover, 0.5% of these women married before the age of 12.
Such high rates of child marriage in Bangladesh are the result of a combination of economic and social practices; in communities where marrying young is most prevalent, girls and young women are treated as subordinate to their male counterparts. Infringing on a child’s “right to free and full consent,” as a result of religious and/or cultural practices, or even in exchange for a social or economic imperative, brings about severe consequences.
Marriage at a young age increases a child’s “risk for physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse.” Not only is child marriage a humanitarian issue but it also contributes to delayed economic development. Child marriage often arises as a consequence of poverty — impoverished families seeking economic relief by marrying off their daughters. Child marriage consequently also contributes to poverty rates by eliminating working potential.
Approximately 38 million child brides live in Bangladesh, according to a 2020 UNICEF report, and the World Bank estimates that national poverty rates in Bangladesh reached nearly 40 million in 2016, showing a clear correlation between child marriage and poverty.
With child brides not having access to educational opportunities and their own “decision-making power,” Bangladesh is eliminating a potential working class.
Action to Reduce Child Marriage
With the intervention of actionable programs, like UNICEF’s Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, which responds to the complexities of child marriage practices, rates are on the decline.
In 2016, UNICEF and the UNFPA launched the Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage to address the issue in the countries with the highest rates of child marriage, including Bangladesh.
The program “promotes the rights of adolescent girls to avert marriage and pregnancy and enables them to achieve their aspirations through education and alternative pathways,” the UNICEF website explains. On a household level, the program works to change attitudes about child marriage and the status of girls in society. On a broader, legislative level, the program advocates for legislation and policies that uphold the human rights of girls and encourages data-informed approaches to the development of such policies.
In 2021, 480 child journalists in Bangladesh, with girls accounting for 50% of this team, received skills training and tools from UNICEF to create videos to raise awareness on “child marriage, gender equality and girls’ empowerment.” The country’s “first-ever children’s online news platform” broadcasted the video content.
A Child Helpline and Conditional Cash Transfers
One way UNICEF’s program intervenes in the issue of child marriage in Bangladesh is through a toll-free national helpline, which it established with the Bangladesh government in 2015. In April 2020, the child helpline received 450 calls related to cases of child marriages.
The helpline saved Yesmin, a child bride, on the day of her marriage. After facing harassment from an “older man,” her family arranged her marriage as a means of protecting her. Upon receiving an anonymous tip of her arranged union through the helpline, police came to the scene, negotiating with her father to call off the marriage. In a UNICEF report, Yesmin shared, “I was so happy when I realized it wasn’t going ahead after all.”
UNICEF also offers conditional cash transfers to households that are at high risk of pushing their children into child marriages. UNICEF provides the grants on the condition that girls stay in school, do not marry and do not engage in child labor. Parents must also attend UNICEF educational sessions focusing on the negative impacts of child marriage.
In treating and supporting young girls equitably, the program boosts girls’ decision-making power and independence — qualities child marriage deprives young brides of.
By focusing on educating community members on the consequences of child marriages, supporting those betrothed as children and addressing gender discrimination, Bangladesh is on the way to effectively ending child marriage. With the work of UNICEF, a world of opportunities is opening for the youth that would otherwise come to an abrupt end as a result of child marriage.
– Micaella Balderrama
Photo: Flickr
NGOs Resume Programs in Afghanistan
Three NGOs resumed programs in Afghanistan after an order from Taliban authorities on December 24, 2022, prevented women from working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Organizations like Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and CARE have now restarted work across the country.
The order for both foreign and local NGOs to suspend female staff came after the Taliban claimed that female aid workers were not adhering to the strict dress code currently enforced in Afghanistan. As Taliban rules dictate that men must not deliver assistance to women, the ban has made it extremely difficult for NGOs to work, as they can only effectively support half the population. As a result, most NGOs have now suspended operations in Afghanistan.
Humanitarian Programs Resume
However, three weeks after the Taliban announced the orders, Save the Children, the IRC and CARE resumed their health and nutrition services after receiving assurances from the Ministry of Public Health that it would be safe for their female staff to return to work. Save the Children has also confirmed that it is restarting some education programs, while the IRC is working with provincial authorities to discuss the possibility of female staff returning to work in other sectors.
This week, the U.N.’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, also confirmed that Taliban ministers were in the process of drawing up new guidelines to allow some humanitarian organizations to employ Afghani women. Mr. Griffiths told the BBC that he thought the Taliban were “listening” and had received “encouraging responses” after numerous meetings with Taliban leaders to discuss the ban on female NGO workers.
Restrictions on Women’s Rights and the Humanitarian Crisis
The Taliban’s ban on female NGO workers is just one of the numerous restrictions placed on women in the country since they came into power in 2021. Driven by an oppressive and patriarchal interpretation of Islam, the Jihadist group has undone much of the previous efforts to liberalize the country in years before their takeover. Women in Afghanistan are currently subject to strict dress codes, unable to attend schools or universities and cannot enter certain public spaces such as gyms or parks.
Women are witnessing the loss of their liberties and autonomy amid an unprecedented humanitarian emergency. With 18.9 million people experiencing food insecurity, an extraordinary amount of people are set to suffer from malnutrition, starvation and preventable diseases this year. In light of this, the need for NGOs to provide aid and address inequalities is more prevalent than ever.
NGOs Helping
As NGOs resume programs in Afghanistan, services from Save the Children, the IRC and CARE in Afghanistan will hopefully provide some relief during this humanitarian crisis. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Save the Children has provided more than 3.3 million people (1.8 million of those being children) with nutritional, educational and mental health services, as well as essential aid such as blankets, materials to build shelters and hygiene products.
The IRC has also provided aid to thousands of villages across nine provinces in Afghanistan. It is currently supporting more than 100 health centers, helping locals with community development projects and improving access to education, particularly in rural areas. The organization is also leading the fight to protect and empower women and girls in the country by providing them with education opportunities, giving advice on women’s health and teaching them advocacy skills in its Afghan Women and Girls Program.
CARE runs three programs in Afghanistan. Its Resilience Program works to protect women’s social and political rights and seeks to promote female engagement in business, for instance through agricultural production. Its Education Program also provides children with access to education through a community-based approach, whilst its Health Equity and Rights Program provides health care to vulnerable adults and children.
While some of these services are still under suspension due to the ban, the resumption of programs in Afghanistan in the health and nutrition sector is bringing some hope and optimism to a struggling country. With continuing negotiations between the U.N. and the Taliban to try and reverse the decrees restricting women’s rights, it is vital that people continue to support NGOs in the hope that more humanitarian sectors will start to open up for women to work in.
– Priya Thakkar
Photo: Flickr
3 Groups Working to Improve Education in Africa
Asante Africa, Street Child and Literacy for Life are three groups working to improve education in Africa by expanding primary access to strong educational programming in African countries. Developments in this field are vital for global growth in the future.
The Importance of Learning
Quality education remains an important factor for economic growth in countries that exist in states of poverty. If younger generations are able to learn key skills in their youth, they will be able to contribute positively to job development, employment and technological advancement.
Concern Worldwide reports on estimates by UNESCO indicating that “if all students in low-income countries had just basic reading skills (nothing else), an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty.” Therefore, improving educational systems is integral to economic growth and development in struggling countries.
Because of this, aid programs that expand upon current educational programs and resources have the ability to end the cycle of poverty in impoverished nations. In Africa specifically, local NGOs working to increase access to quality education are making a difference on a large scale.
3 Groups Working to Improve Education in Africa
Looking Forward
The work of these organizations helps to reduce poverty in Africa by improving education to promote future growth. Many similar NGOs, initiatives and nonprofits exist across Africa and the world and their work is changing learning systems for the better.
– Hailey Dooley
Photo: Flickr