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A New Kind of Immunization: Family Values and Women's Rights in Bangladesh
When 18-year-old Fatema entered the home of her mother-in-law as a young bride, she had some very definite ideas about women's rights and family life. A recent graduate of the Bangladesh Adolescent Development Program (ADP) in her village, Fatema had just completed training in a basic education and life-skills program that is designed to protect young girls from exploitation, abuse, and poverty.
The ADP began life as a program mainly for girls, but it has since been adapted for boys as well as domestic servants and other working children. Supported by USC Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency, it is now running in 46 districts, and it has taught over 14,000 adolescents. Nearly 2,500 students, including Fatema, have graduated in the last two years alone.
Although she was the youngest of five children in a poor farming family, Fatema was remarkably assertive. As a young bride in her new husband's house, she would have been the lowest in the family's pecking order. But she was so enthusiastic about the new information she had just learned that she readily shared it with her in-laws. She thought she was doing the right thing by telling them, but unfortunately they did not see it her way. Dulal smoothed relations between his mother and sisters and his wife, convincing them that Fatema was not challenging their roles or their authority, but trying to help them improve their lives.
Five months after her marriage, Fatema and her husband, Dulal, were invited to attend a follow-up course for newlyweds offered through the ADP. Nine couples took part in this four-day course. It covered family planning, communication, and the role of husband and wife in maintaining a successful marriage, including the always difficult issue of managing finances. At the end of the course, all the couples signed a form promising not to have a child for at least two years, and to wait another two years before having their second. They also agreed to act as ambassadors, sharing what they had learned with family members and neighbours.
The course was of immense benefit to Fatema and Dulal. They learned together, shared their dreams, and acquired the skills to plan their lives. They shared their new knowledge with their neighbours, convincing the parents of two teenaged girls that it would be in their best interests to postpone marriage until they were in their late teens.
In Bangladesh, early and forced marriages, high birth rates, dowry disputes, polygamy, domestic violence, divorce, and desertion are all too common. This program of "social immunization" - where youth are provided with life-based education, skills, and legal protection - gives young girls the practical knowledge and confidence they need to stand up for their rights. It also creates a space for boys and men to take responsibility and share decision-making with their wives about key health issues like family planning and reproductive health.
Reference CIDA http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/STE-320162112-T5U
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