Parents should take extra care during the growth of children so that they develop a positive attitude towards society and also be able to differentiate between the good and the bad.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Women and Children Affairs Ministry and also a Member of Parliament Meher Afroz Chumki has made the above remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable discussion meeting titled ‘Role of Positive Environment in Self-Development of Adolescents’ on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child at the capital’s Intercontinental Hotel on Monday.She mentioned that children go through a variety of psychophysical changes during the adolescence period and so it is critical to give maximum attention during this period.
“We have to pay extra attention to them so that they do not make any mistakes during this period,” she said.
The discussion meeting was jointly organized by Unilever Bangladesh Ltd (UBL), the international development organization, Plan International Bangladesh, and the Children's Affairs Journalists Network (CAJN).
Meher Afroz Chumki further said, “We have to create awareness among everyone regarding the health of adolescents. The tendency of child marriage in society has blocked the way of development for our teenagers. Therefore, men involved in child marriage, have to be brought under the law. The media can play an important role in this regard.”
Speaking as the special guest at the roundtable meeting, Director General of the Department of Women's Affairs Ram Chandra Das said that child marriage has now become a major obstacle in the progress of girls.
“We have child marriage prevention committees in villages to prevent child marriage. However, due to the lack of adequate monitoring amid the pandemic, the rate of child marriage has increased. It is important for the government as well as the media, NGOs, and other concerned organizations to work for the establishment of the rights of girls in the society and for the elimination of discrimination against women,” he said.
Zaved Akhtar, CEO and MD of UBL said that as a partner of the Bangladesh government, Unilever's brands are contributing to social changes.
“As a part of this, Dove's Self-Esteem Project has started its journey. Dove, under this project, has embarked on a mission to empower 250 million young people around the world by 2030. The cooperation of the government, society, development partners, and the media is important to achieve our goals,” he said.
Orla Murphy, Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh, said, “NGOs are playing an important role in bringing together the voices of all walks of life. We are getting an unprecedented response from the youth while conducting our programs in this country.”
The event was presided over by Mahfuza Jasmine, president of the Children's Affairs Journalists Network.