A 10-year-old girl was rescued while she was being married off married to a 44-year old man in Rasulpur area in Barisal city yesterday.
Masuk Kamal, area coordinator the BNWLA Barisal unit, said Lina Begum, a volunteer of the information centre at the ward 9 of the city corporation, informed them that guardians of Sonia Akhtar Rimi, 10, were arranging her marriage with a middle-aged person.
Sonia is a daughter of Sobhan Payada, a day labour, and a student of class IV at a local primary school.
Hearing the information, the BNWLA team led by Advocate Salma Ali, executive director, Bangladesh Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA), rushed to the spot.
Then the BNWLA, informing local police station and talking with the guardians, took the girl under their custody.
Sobhan Peyada acknowledged the facts of arranging marriage of the girl with one Jamal Mia, 44, who is working as a causal worker at postmortem section of Barisal Sher-e- Bangla Medical College Hospital.
“We were forced to marry Sonia off, as we thought she would get a better future,” he said.
Sonia told the Dhaka Tribune that she did not want to marry now and wanted to continue her education.
Jamal Mia, the bridegroom, said his wife had died few days ago and he wanted to marry the poor girl to take care of his son.
Salma Ali, the BNWLA executive director, said socio-economical conditions, including poverty of the family, lack of awareness and society about the severe negative affects of child marriage, domestic violence, and negligence of rearing girl-child by the parents, usually cause child marriage
The girl will be taken to the BNWLA safe home as she was traumatised, she added.
