Arifa Khatun is the only girl in her family who goes to school.

Her father, Md. Azizul Hoque, is a day labourer. They live in the Miapur village of Charghat Upazilla in Rajshahi. Despite the opportunities she had for an education, her family were keen to see her married.

However, when her friends at the adolescents’ forum (formed as part of a plan to integrate teenagers into community decision-making) found out that Arifa was going to be wed, they worked with ActionAid Bangladesh’s partner organisation TDC to intervene to stop the marriage. But still, Arifa’s parents refused to stop the wedding and tried to fast track the ceremony.

Arifa told her friends that she really wanted to stay in school so the forum members took the matter to the authorities. With the assistance of local police, they collected Arifa’s birth certificate which proved she was under age and that it was illegal for her to marry. At last her parents stopped the marriage and Arifa was free to continue with her education.

ActionAid Bangladesh’s adolescent family life education (AFLE) programme has been working with young people and teachers for two years. Through a mixture of training for teachers, raising awareness among adolescents and creating opportunities for young people, we have come a long way towards addressing the issue of violence against girls in school.

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