RAJSHAHI: Community support along with integrated efforts of both government and non-government organisations concerned has become crucial to end child marriage for the sake of protecting maternal and neonatal health everywhere in the society.

Simultaneously, all the organisations working in this field should come forward and work together to combat child marriage and child pregnancy as it’s the precondition for improvement of child and maternal health.

Director of Barendra Unnayan Prochesta Foyzullah Chowdhury and Executive Director of Rural Social Development Foundation Monjurul Islam Khan addressed the meeting as resource persons.

The speakers unanimously viewed that the present government under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been implementing diversified programmes to free the society from child marriage.

Terming child marriage as gross violation of human rights he also said it is vital to increase awareness regarding the negative impacts of child marriage with the help of the mass media.

Responsive support from the community, especially local administration, public representatives, teachers, parents, marriage registrars, and influential leaders, has become indispensable to ensure adolescent-friendly reproductive health services for reducing child marriage and child pregnancy substantially and sustainable.

Foyzullah Chowdhury said ensuring equal rights on education, training, science and technology is also important to women empowerment.

Physical and mental development of children could be possible when they were protected from violence and deprivation.