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When cops are an inspiration

Staff Correspondent
While many criticise police for numerous reasons, there are some exceptional members in the force who go beyond their official duties to serve the country-
Assistant Inspector General of Police (media) Nazrul Islam is one of those unsung heroes. He has been playing a role in the fight against child marriage, an evil practice still rampant in many places.
He came up with the idea for the first time while attending a programme on protection and enforcement of women's rights in the capital in 2013. Then, Nazrul was the superintendent of police in Jamalpur.
Returning to work, he, on his own, formed a police team that along with locals went to several villages of the district and identified some potential child marriage female victims, who were students of class IVtoX.
"I felt that the potential victims were more likely to listen to us than anyone else," he told The Daily Star, adding that they explained the danger of such marriages to them and their parents extensively.
Later, the team randomly
picked seven villages and formed groups of adolescent girls there.
"We gave the girls our phone numbers and requested them to notify us whenever they see any incident of child marriage,"
said the police officer.
Nazrul and his team's efforts did not end there. They collected addresses of teachers, doctors, mosque imams, union parishad chairmen and other influential people in the district and sent them letters, urging them to help stop the crime.
The move received tremendous response as child marriage prevention committees were formed in 1,082 of the 1,362 villages in the district, claimed the police officer.
Following these efforts, 36 bids for
child marriage were stopped in the district between May 18 and June 14 this year, said sources.
Mohammad Yunus Ali, imam of Kharma Gayen para mosque in Dewanganj upazila, said he had read out Nazrul's letter during Friday prayers.
Nurul Islam, headmaster of Katherbil Government Primary School, said after getting the letter they had arranged a mothers' conference where he talked about the negative impacts of child marriage.
“There, two mothers vowed that they will not marry off their daughters
before 18," the teacher told The Daily Star recently.
Nazrul, before being transferred to Dhaka recently, also sent a letter to the home ministry with some recommendations to prevent child marriage across the country.
He said the suggestions include using primary or secondary school exam certificates as age proof and ensuring providing the government with necessary documents with proper serial numbers during marriage.
As per law, the minimum marriage age forfemalesis 18 while it is 21 formales.