A dialogue, held in Bangkok on Friday, called for urgent, coordinated action to protect the rights of millions of girls at risk across the Asia-Pacific region.
The dialogue was organised by the Plan International Asia-Pacific with the launch of ‘Status of the World’s Girls: Let me be a child, not a wife’ report, focused on child, early and forced marriages and unions, said a Plan International Bangladesh press release on Friday.
The event brought together the regional leaders from SAARC, SAIEVAC, Girls not Brides, Unicef Regional Office for South Asia, World Vision, UNFPA, Child Fund International, Plan International Bangladesh, Plan International India, Plan International Nepal, TdH, youth activists and development partners for the Asia-Pacific.
Ambassador Md Golam Sarwar, secretary general of SAARC, highlighted its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and partnership to support efforts to reinforce policy frameworks, expand adolescent-friendly services, enhance sexual and reproductive health education, and improve the collection and use of disaggregated data to inform policy and programmes.
Bhagyashri Dengle, regional director, Plan International Asia-Pacific, underlined that ‘every girl has the right to grow up safe, educated and in control of her own future.’
Presenting key findings from the report, Jolly Nur Haque, regional head of program and influencing, Plan International Asia-Pacific, noted that while progress has been made in several countries, the Asia-Pacific region still accounts for a significant share of the world’s child brides.
During the discussion, speakers underscored that laws alone are not enough and called for long-term investments in girls’ education and skills, comprehensive sexuality education, accessible and survivor-centred protection services, and initiatives that positively engage boys, men, religious and traditional leaders.
In the closing remarks, Sharon Kane, director of the sub regions, Plan International Asia-Pacific, urged all stakeholders to match their resources and results.