Shahida Akhter Shorna, a participant in the recent annual conference of ‘Because I Am A Girl’ in Norway, was described as “Malala of Bangladesh” by Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
The Norwegian premier praised Shorna after she had shared the moving story of how she stopped her own child marriage and also the challenges she is now facing as she works to stop child marriages in her own community.
She flew to Norway on October 7 to take part in the conference ‘Because I Am A Girl’ which is a global campaign of Plan International and returned on October 24.
Shorna spoke as a special guest in the session on child marriage, and the a role she plays in stopping child marriage where her performance was greatly appreciated.
The girl participated in the Oslo Freedom Forum and was interviewed by Norwegian media.
Shorna’s story is an inspiring one. She comes from a poor family and her father Tota Mia abandoned his wife Sharifunnesa, as she failed to give birth to a boy, along with his five daughters.
Because the mother could not afford school expenses, she married off the three elder girls when they were minors.
Shorna’s marriage preaparations came next when she was a ninth-grader but being aware of child rights as a member of Child Organisation, supported by Plan, she knew that child marriage was a gross violation of the rights of a child.
She decided to stand up to her mother’s decision to marry her off. However, after she took the SSC examination, her mother attempted to arrange her wedding. Her father would often pressurise her mother to marry her off.
Failing to convince her parents, Shorna threatened them, saying she would inform the upazila administration and would ask for disciplinary action.
Her parents took her words seriously this time but she was disgraced by neighbours. However, with support from a child organisation, Shorna was able to overcome all the adversities.
Shorna is now an icon in her community and also an activist working to eradicate child marriage. She started off by convincing parents not to marry their minor children off. If she failed, she sought assistance from teachers, union parishad members, upazila officials and police. She has so far stopped six child marriages in her area.
The 20-year-old now studies zoology at Bhawal Badre Alam Government College in Gazipur. She works as an adviser at Shishu Forum of Mawna union under Sreepur upazila and is also a member of Child Protection Group run by Plan International. In 2012, she became the president of Shishu Forum.
Her dream now is to work for neglected children and women around the country.
In recongition of what she did to stop child marriage, Mawna union Chairman Fazlul Haque nominated her for the honorary title “Joyeeta” from his union. In 2013, she won the title from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
Shorna’s father now thinks he was wrong to push for his daughter’s marriage. “Now I realize the importance of education. I wish her every success in life,” he said.
