Bid to end child marriages in Bengal

West Bengal government and UNICEF have unveiled plans to give impetus to their joint programme focusing on ending child marriage, gender inequality and gender-based violence on the occasion of International Women’s Day. West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM), under the aegis of the ‘Anandadhara’ project, has engaged Self-Help Groups (SHG) since September last year to form child-friendly sanghas (clusters) with a view to end child marriage and other deprivations meted out on the children in the state. Speaking at an event, Vibhu Goel, CEO of WBSRLM, said various state government departments and UNICEF have been working together to finish these malpractices forever. “Without community participation, it is difficult to make a headway. Promotion of better practices by SHG members, their families and their extended families and introduction of a community-based monitoring system are key to achieve success in child protection and child development issues,” an official release quoted him saying.