Congratulations to Bangladeshi student Sanjida Islam Choya, who has been named to the list of BBC's 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2022 for her role in the fight against child marriage.
Being responsible for stopping over 50 child marriages in Bangladesh with her friends, teachers, and collaborators who call themselves Ghashforing (grasshoppers), it is heartening to see young leaders such as Sanjida take a stance against what is unfortunately one of Bangladesh's social challenges to overcome, as the country continues to see one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.
However, while she offers a ray of hope against the scourge of child marriage, it is clear to see that her efforts, while commendable and deserving of the attention it is receiving, must be supported by the authorities concerned if we are to even begin to tackle the issue of child marriage in the country.
Covid-19 has only worsened the situation in Bangladesh which was already in a dire state, and we risk losing hundreds of thousands of young girls to child marriage who will be deprived of having a healthy, fulfilling childhood.
Simply blaming the families who marry their daughters off is not enough; often, these families simply lack the awareness to understand the ramification of their actions, or appear to be desperate due to being in poverty and feeling as if they are unable to provide for their children.
While the government's 333 hotline has been a positive development, there must be more efforts made to address child marriage and treat it with the seriousness that it warrants. If Bangladesh is to fulfil its goals and reach where it aspires to be, there is no alternative but to completely eliminate the practice of child marriage from our nation.