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More efforts needed to empower girls

Dev partners say marking Int'l Girl Child Day

UNB. Dhaka
Though Bangladesh has made significant progress in improving lives of adolescent girls over the last 20 years, more opportunities have to be ensured for them so that they can reach their full potential.
Development partners said this in a joint statement yesterday, marking International Day of the Girl Child.
"We know that unlocking the potential of girls is critical in view of the demographic window of opportunity in Bangladesh and [it] will generate substantial benefits not just for the girls, but also for their families and communities," reads the joint statement.
UK Aid, USAID, Australian High Commission in Bangladesh, ActionAid, Save the Children, Unicef, UN Women, Brae, Plan International, UNFPA, OXFAM, World Vision and Food and Agriculture Organization were among the 23 bodies who issued the statement.
Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as International Day of the Girl Child. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their rights.
The theme of this year is "GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable".
The development partners, in the statement, mentioned that more girls are
enrolling in schools and accessing better health care services in the country. The achievement in girls' secondary education has started to transform the social fabric and is providing girls with greater opportunities.
"Bangladeshi girls are inspiring, innovative and eager to take charge of their own future. They are using the internet and mobile technology to expand their learning opportunities and intensify their voices. Also, 30.7 percent of girls (aged 15-19) own mobile phones," the joint statement noted.
Girls are breaking barriers posed by gender stereotypes through getting involved in outdoor sports, as demonstrated by the recent success of Bangladeshi Girls' U-15 football team.
Despite progress, significant challenges exist in many areas, said the joint statement.
While Bangladesh has done well on the maternal mortality indicator, data show that adolescent mothers between the ages of 15 and 19 are still twice as likely to die due to pregnancy and childbirth complications compared to women between the ages of 20 and 24.
In education, according to the statement, there are fewer girls, compared to boys, in the higher secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels.
Child marriage is a major cause of girls not enrolling in or dropping out of secondary education, with over half of women between the ages of 20 and 24 being married off before their 18th birthday and almost one in five before 15.
Violence against girls still poses significant challenges for Bangladesh and it has increased alarmingly in recent times, mentioned the statement.
According to a 2015 report of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 42.8 percent married girls (aged 15-19) are victims of physical or sexual violence.