By making use of the helpline numbers, many under-aged girls have saved themselves from the curse of child marriage in parts of Bangladesh.
The minimum legal age for marriage is 18 years old for females and 21 for males in the country, reports Xinhua.
For adolescent Bangladeshi girls, the helpline ‘333’ launched in April, 2018 by Bangladeshi Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has emerged as a ‘lifesaver’.
In a bid to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, the country has been trying to address such social maladies as child marriage and other social ills that have hampered the country's development.
According to the State of World Population Report 2019 released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a staggering 59 per cent of the marriages that took place in Bangladesh between 2006 and 2017 involved brides below the age of 18.
Bangladeshi State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak said they are committed to eliminating child and forced marriage in line with the country's SDGs target.
The minister said that the helpline is one of the measures which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has taken to end the scourge of child marriage.
"So far we have received millions of calls from different areas regarding child marriage and drug abuse among other issues. And we are really happy that our government administrations are responding to the calls and protecting our young under-aged girls from child marriage," the minister said.
He also expressed hope that in the near future, Bangladesh would be a country free of the scourge of child marriage.
"The ‘333’ national helpline plays a vital role to protect young girls from child marriage, prevent violence against women and a number of other social issues and problems," he added.
