ZCZC
BSS-46
INT’L-GIRL-CHILD-DAY
President, PM stress girls empowerment
DHAKA, Oct 10, 2019 (BSS) – The International Day of the Girl Child will be observed in the country as elsewhere in the globe tomorrow with the theme “GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable”.
The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights, according to the United Nations.
On the eve of the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages expressing love and affection for the girl children.
“Today’s girl children are future’s womenfolk. It is our responsibility to ensure rights and security for every girl child,” the President said in his message.
Referring to the government’s different initiatives to ensure child welfare, especially education, health and nutrition, Hamid said the present government is very sincere to develop girl child.
He urged individuals, institutions as well as the society and families come forward along with the government to ensure overall security and development for the girl children.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said 45 percent of the country’s population is children, while 48 percent of them are girls. The proper flourishing of the large number of girl children will add a new dimension to the country’s ongoing progress, she added.
Greatest Bengali of all times Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formulated the Child Act 1974, she said, adding that the present government is working relentlessly to empower women and girl children and stop violence and discrimination against them.
“Due to our pragmatic measures, child marriage has decreased remarkably while enrolment of girl children in the schools has increased,” the premier said.
Noting that the country’s girls are achieving success in the sports sector, Sheikh Hasina said, “Bangladesh’s girls won the champion trophies of the last Asia Cup cricket tournament and AFC U-14 girl’s football tournament in 2015 and runners up trophy in SAFF U-15 girl’s football championship in Bhutan in 2017”.
She believed that the girl children could play a vital role in building a ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through implementing ‘Vision-2021’ and ‘Vision-2041’.
The President and the Prime Minister wished success of the day’s programmes.
BSS/PR/SAH/BR/2005 hrs