Child Marriages Have Gone Up in Bangladesh Due to The Impact Of Epidemic On The Socio-Economic Situation
New Age Islam News Bureau
10
Aug 2020
•
Sixty Percent of Women Yet to Take Cervical Cancer Test, Says Malaysian
Minister
•
138 Nigerian Women Trapped in Saudi Arabia –Report
•
Children and Youth Represent 67% Of Saudi Population
•
Egypt Mulls Law To Protect Women's Identities As MeToo Movement Escalates
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/child-marriages-gone-up-bangladesh/d/122591
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Child
Marriages Have Gone Up In Bangladesh Due To The Impact Of Epidemic On The
Socio-Economic Situation
August
9, 2020
Rights
organisations have cited an increased number of child marriages happening in parts
of Bangladesh.
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The
Covid-19 pandemic allows poor Bangladeshi families to marry off their daughters
without the need for expensive weddings.
By
Stephan Uttom and Rock Ronald Rozario
Sheuli
Das can only blame her bad luck and Covid-19 for bringing an abrupt end to her
education and forcing her into an early marriage.
Sheuli,
15, a tenth grader from Keshobpur in Jessore district of Bangladesh, was
married to a local businessman on April 25, about a month after the government
closed all education institutes and enforced a nationwide shutdown due to the
pandemic.
Her
father, Chittya Das (not his real name), 40, says the decision to marry Sheuli
off was mostly for unavoidable circumstances and the “better interests” of her
and the family.
“Since
the school closed, local young men started teasing her. There is no social
security, so we were tense. Moreover, we have found a suitable man for her to
ensure a happy married life,” the Hindu father of two told UCA News.
Eve-teasing
or stalking is common in Bangladesh. It takes various verbal and non-verbal
forms, from whistles, leers and winks to unwanted physical contact, catcalls
and sexually suggestive remarks by boys and young men.
As
a low-income rickshaw-van puller who lives hand to mouth with his family,
Chittya considered saving money for his eighth-grader son more sensible than
investing in his daughter.
The
wedding, under government-mandated health guidelines to combat the coronavirus,
was a huge relief for the family as he had to spend only about 5,000 taka
(US$59), whereas it would have been about 150,000 taka ($1,770) in normal
circumstances.
“We
really didn’t want to marry her off, but considering the situation it was a
good decision for her and the family,” Chittya added.
In
relatively poor rural areas of Bangladesh, the pandemic has slowly triggered
hundreds of mostly unreported underage marriages, social workers say.Since
March, at least 40 child marriages have taken place in Keshobpur, according to
Shyamol Chandra Das, 39, a field officer with NGO Parittran (Salvation).
Another four were stopped before the wedding ceremony.
“Here,
people are poor and they consider the time of Covid-19 suitable for a simple
wedding for their daughters. They don’t need to spend a lot of money for the
program and dowry. Most of these marriages have remained largely unreported,”
Shyamol told UCA News.
In
Kurigram district, child marriages have increased from 8 percent in March to
over 11 percent now, according to Ehsan Kabir, communication officer with Plan
International, a UK-based charity that advocates for child rights.
“The
number of registered marriages has decreased and unregistered marriages
increased. Local efforts to curb child marriage have also declined. In
February, 14 child marriages were stopped, but only two were stopped in May,”
he told UCA News.
Lack
of education
Bangladesh
has one of world’s highest rates of child marriage, according to Girls Not
Brides (GNB), an international coalition of women and child rights groups. The
Muslim-majority nation is ranked fourth after Niger, the Central African
Republic and Chad.
About
59 percent of girls get married before 18 and about 22 percent are married by
15 in Bangladesh, according to a 2017 study by UNICEF, the United Nations
children’s agency.
GNB
cites poverty, lack of education, lack of social security, saving family honor,
natural disasters and displacements as the main driving forces behind endemic
child marriages in Bangladesh.
This
high prevalence of child marriage exists despite Bangladesh committing to eliminate
child, early and forced marriages by 2030 in line with UN Sustainable
Development Goals. It also has the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, which
sets the mandatory marriageable age for men at 21 and for women at 18, with
violation a punishable offense.
However,
the ruling Awami League government faced criticism at home and abroad for
amending the law in 2017. It included a provision to allow for marriage of
girls under 18 in “special circumstances.”
“If
a minor girl, in some special circumstances, is married for her best interest
with consent from the court and her parents, and in following appropriate
procedures, then it will not be considered a crime under this law,” the
provision states.
Critics
alleged that the move was intended to reduce high figures of child marriage and
improve the nation’s image on the issue.
Rita
Roselin Costa, a women’s rights activist with BRAC, a Bangladeshi NGO, pointed
to some immediate factors behind the surge in child marriage.
“Due
to Covid-19, local and overseas migrant workers have returned home and they are
looking for suitable brides for marriage. Parents are feeling insecure to keep
their daughters at home as schools and colleges are closed. Moreover, poor
families find it a financially practical move to arrange low-cost and
dowry-free marriages,” Costa, convener of the women’s desk at the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB), told UCA News.
Church’s
success in battling child marriage
Costa
noted that Christians, especially the Catholic Church, have taken a “zero
tolerance” policy against child marriage and it has been effective in removing
the practice from the Christian community.
“In
CBCB-sponsored programs and at parish level, child marriage is strongly
discouraged and anti-child marriage lessons are imparted to students and
parents by church-run education institutes. The Church has been successful in
diminishing child marriage,” she said.
“Although
a minority group, Christians are an example of success in the battle against
child marriage. This could be a matter of research and it should be presented
as a national model for others to follow.”
Abul
Hossain, a project director at the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said
the government is vigilant about child marriage and denied any significant rise
in the practice during Covid-19.
“From
districts to grassroots villages, there is a mechanism in place to monitor and
curb child marriage. There might be some fringe incidents of child marriage,
but it is not high and worrisome,” Hossain told UCA News.
“It
is true that government officials are more engaged in the Covid-19 response,
and there are possibilities of a rise in domestic violence and child marriage.
That does not mean a significant increase.”
https://www.eurasiareview.com/09082020-bangladesh-covid-19-triggers-surge-in-child-marriages/
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Sixty
Percent Of Women Yet To Take Cervical Cancer Test, Says Malaysian Minister
Minderjeet
Kaur
August
10, 2020
Deputy
Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali says the government’s target is for at least
40% of women to take the pap test regularly.
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KUALA
LUMPUR: Up to 60% of women in the country have not undergone the pap test in
the last three years despite it costing only RM1 in government clinics and
hospitals.
Deputy
Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said only 25% took the test regularly.
“Some
say it is uncomfortable and shameful and they are not concerned about the
test,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
To
an additional question from June LeowHsiad Hui (PH-Hulu Selangor), he said the
government’s target was for at least 40% of women to take the test regularly.
Holding
up a pap smear kit, Noor Azmi said women who are shy to seek professional aid
could now conduct the test themselves.
He
said the kit, which is used in Australia, could encourage more women to take
the test for cervical cancer.
Noor
Azmi said RM20 million had been allocated for free mammogram screenings, human
papillomavirus vaccination and pap smears in government clinics and hospitals.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/10/60-of-women-yet-to-take-pap-test-says-deputy-minister/
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138
Nigerian Women Trapped In Saudi Arabia –Report
AUG
10, 2020
The
Journalists International Forum for Migration has uncovered a trafficking
cartel responsible for the trafficking of 138 Nigerian women to Saudi Arabia.
The
JIFORM President, Ajibola Abayomi, in a statement on Sunday, said the body had
the profiles of 138 ladies trafficked to the Middle-East nation by a company
identified as TTCO.
He
stated that some of the names on the list included 23-year-old Amina Idris, an
indigene of Kano, whose passport with the number, A09118374, was being withheld
by her host; Atanda Esther Idowu, 42, and Salawu Yetunde Victoria, 37, with
passport number A08233422, both from Oyo State, and Gift Israel Johnnu, 25,
from Rivers State with passport number A09136678.
He
added that the information was sourced from data made available to JIFORM by
the Rescue Africans in Slavery, a foundation campaigning against human
trafficking and child labour.
The
statement read in part, “Since we launched the rescue campaign that led to the
rescue of 30 girls and others from Lebanon by the Nigerian government, several
international agencies have been reaching out to us, and we have been directing
them to relate with the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons accordingly.
The JIFORM is committed to humanitarian service, and we are willing to do more.
“Some
of the ladies, at different locations in the country were in critical health
conditions and needed to be attended to in good time. We call for prompt
attention from the Federal Government.
http://saharareporters.com/2020/08/10/138-nigerian-women-trapped-saudi-arabia-%E2%80%93report
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Children
and youth represent 67% of Saudi population
August
9, 2020
RIYADH
— Children and youth represent 67 percent of the Saudi population in the
current year, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Young
Saudis in the age group of 15-34 years make up 36.7 percent of the Kingdom’s
total population, the authority said in a special report titled “Report of
Saudi youth in numbers,” released on Sunday to mark the World Youth Day 2020,
which falls on Wednesday Aug. 12.
The
report includes population, social, economic, educational, health, cultural and
recreational statistics of the Saudi youth. Saudi Arabia’s total population is
estimated at 34.8 million including 10.5 million foreigners. “The majority of
young men in the age group of 20-24 years represent 27.6 percent while the
percentage of young women in the age group of 20-24 and 25-29 years is 26.2,”
the report said.
GASTAT
statistical report said the percentage of unmarried young men and women in the
age group of 15-34 years was 66.23 whereas unmarried young men represent 75.6
percent of whom 50.4 percent are in the age group of 15-34 years while the
percentage of unmarried females in the age group of 25-34 was 43.1. The
percentage of married women was 34.3 while divorced women in this age group
constitute 1.27 percent, and the percentage of widows was 0.5 percent, the
report showed.
The
report indicated that the ratio of Saudi youth in the age group of 15-34 years
suffering from chronic diseases constitute 5.5 percent of the total Saudi
population of which the percentage of men and women reached 5.8 and 5.2
respectively. The report also showed that most Saudi women practice sports to
improve their health but as for men, they practice it for physical fitness and
recreation. Illiteracy rate has significantly declined among young Saudis in
the age group of 15-34 years during the decade from 2007 to 2017, and this
decrease is attributed to the decline in the illiteracy rate of women in
particular, the report pointed out.
The
report showed a majority of Saudi youth are not facing any difficulties during
their learning journey, with an almost equal number between men and women,
which is about 68 percent. Moreover, the transition rate in secondary education
for Saudis in 2019 was 99.8 percent. The report confirmed that in 2019, the
number of employed Saudi youth, whose ages ranged between 15 and 34 years,
reached 1,489,520, representing around 47 percent of the total number of Saudi
employees.
It
is worth mentioning that GASTAT is the only official reference body for
statistical data and information in the Kingdom. It carries out all the
statistical work and is responsible for the technical supervision of the
statistical sector, design and implementation of field surveys, conducting
statistical studies and research, analyzing data and information, and all the
works of documenting and preserving information as well as statistical data
that cover all aspects of life in the Kingdom from its multiple sources. It is
also responsible for codifying, classifying, analyzing and extracting its
statistical indicators.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/596403
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Egypt
mulls law to protect women's identities as MeToo movement escalates
Menna
A. Farouk
August
10, 2020
Egyptian
lawmakers are pushing for a new law to protect the identity of women coming
forward to report sexual abuse and assault as the nation's MeToo movement picks
up speed.
An
Egyptian parliamentarian committee has approved a draft law that would give
survivors of sexual assault and harassment the automatic right to anonymity,
with the law expected to go to vote at a general session of the parliament
later this month.
The
moves comes as hundreds of women have started to speak up on social media about
sexual assault in Egypt, with the public prosecution and National Council for
Women supporting the movement and offering legal and social protection.
Spurred
on by the growing MeToo movement, data entry specialist Bassant Abdel Wahab,
22, went public recently about being sexually abused by a human rights activist
when she was 17 and reported him to the civil society group where he works.
The
man has now been suspended from his job while his organization investigates
Abdel Wahab's complaint along with those of other female colleagues who accused
him of assault.
"Sexual
assault incidents that have been hidden for years are continuing to surface and
in a raging way," Wahab told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"It
is like a tsunami that could change attitudes and laws on sexual assault
against women."
The
frequency of such cases being reported in the conservative Muslim country began
to rise after the 2011 revolution as reports of sexual assaults, harassment and
rape in Cairo's Tahrir Square made local and international headlines.
But
this year there has been a spike in reporting about cases of sexual assault
since early July when an Instagram page revealed the case of a university
student who is accused of sexually assaulting and blackmailing multiple women.
Within
five days of the case being disclosed, the National Council for Women said that
it had received 400 complaints mainly about violence against women.
Game
changer
Lawmaker
Magda Nasr said the new law to allow anonymity of sexual abuse survivors will
be a game changer for women in Egypt as it will give greater protection to
report such cases.
"There
is an apparent political will to protect women rights and attempt to reduce as
much as possible violence against women," she told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation.
Nasr
said the latest wave of complaints came after an Instagram page in July accused
a university student of sexually assaulting and blackmailing multiple women.
The student was arrested and the case is being investigated by the authorities.
The
same Instagram account also exposed a gang rape said to involve six men from
wealthy and powerful families that prosecutors are now investigating.
Since
then Egyptian actresses have spoken up against how they were subjected to
sexual assault.
One
actress, Rania Youssef - who faced charges in 2018 that were later dropped
after wearing a see-through outfit to the film festival - published photos of
those responsible on social media.
In
other cases two other human rights activists were accused of sexual assault
against female employees and a Coptic priest was defrocked on sexual assault
allegations.
"It
is a moment where women can have more gains in their fight against sexual
abuse," said lawyer Entessar El-Saeed, executive director of Cairo
Foundation for Development and Law.
El-Saeed
said several non-governmental organizations and parliamentarians were also
pushing for a unified law on violence against women that would provide greater
protection for women and girls from sexual assault and blackmail.
The
bill toughens penalties against sexual abuse in all forms, criminalizes rape
within marriage, and includes better reporting mechanisms, confidentiality
guarantees, and protection for witnesses and survivors.
"The
bill has been in the parliament for two years and it is now the perfect time to
approve it," said El-Saeed, who is the head of one of seven NGOs that
drafted the bill.
A
2017 Thomson Reuters Foundation poll found Cairo to be the most dangerous
megacity for women, and 99% of women in Egypt interviewed by the United Nations
in 2013 reported sexual harassment.
An
outcry over attacks on women near Tahrir Square during President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi's inauguration celebrations in 2014 prompted a new law punishing sexual
harassment with at least six months in jail.
But
women rights activists view the law as too weak.
"The
penalty needs to be toughened and there needs to be legal mechanisms that make
it easier for women to report and get their rights," El-Saeed said.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/08/10/egypt-mulls-law-to-protect-womens-identities-as-metoo-movement-escalates.html
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/child-marriages-gone-up-bangladesh/d/122591