The Unite for Body Rights (UBR) program objectives are to increase knowledge and information on Comprehensive
Sexuality Education (CSE), increase access to youth-friendly SRH services for the youth and adolescents and
reduction of sexual and gender-based violence. At present PSTC is working in Gazipur and Chittagong city to
reach students and adolescents from 68 schools, colleges and madrashas as well as local communities. Among
the 12 targeted areas/ Upazilas of UBR, PSTC is covering Gazipur Sadar Upazila (3 unions and 14 wards of GCC),
Chittagong City Corporation (10 wards of CCC) since January 2016 targeting adolescent and youths within the age
bracket 10 to 24 years.
In this reporting period 47,433 health services were provided to adolescents and youths who also received 10,815
counseling on puberty, SGVB, psycho-social, tele-counseling and other issues through YFS centers.
“Nodi” (pseudonym) lives in a rented house at the Bason community with her parents, two sisters and a
brother. Nodi is the eldest among the siblings. Her father is a private service holder and mother is a housewife.
She is currently (in the year 2017) 10th grade student and studying at regular school.
UBR project have had a youth center in Kawltia union, Masterbari, Gazipur at PSTC training complex premises.
Hosna was the Youth Organizer of the UBR project at the time when Nodi studied in 9th grade in 2016.
Through Hosna she got the information about youth center’s activities. In youth center, there were Youth
Forum Meetings and Study Circles on every Saturday.
She also heard that in the community, youth organizers organize sessions on the topic called “Me and My
World” to enhance knowledge about Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). Through Hosna, Nodi became
a regular member of the youth group in the CSE-SRHR sessions under the title “Me and My World” and
regularly joined the sessions. She listened to the discussions and about activities she had undertaken in the
CSE-SRHR sessions and had many questions on various issues. She tried to know the right information and the
answers along with the SRHR exercises.
Suddenly Nodi’s father decided to get her married with a person who has just returned from abroad. When
Nodi came back home from school she got to know that her marriage was almost fixed with that person.
She decided to discuss the issue with Hosna. She communicated with youth organizer Hosna who discussed
with her parents about the harmful aspects of child marriage and the laws of child marriage and punishment
related to child marriage. Hosna also discussed the issue with other youth organizers from Youth Center. In
the next session of “Me and My World” in presence of Nodi they told about the laws and punishment of child
marriage, that child marriage is a legal offense, and that the guardian of the child forced into child marriage
will be fined or jailed. Later on, Nodi was able to explain to her parents about the laws and punishment of
child marriage and protested that she would not marry at her childhood. And Nodi emphasized that if her
parents would not accept this, then she would take shelter of the law and keep fighting against it. Hosna
kept encouraging Nodi by telling her that if needed, she would go to the police station for further help.
Finally, Nodi’s parents could not bear the pressure and tears of their daughter and they understood that child
marriage is a legal offence, and so they were forced to call off the marriage. Now, Nodi’s life is free from child
marriage. Nodi now cooperates with UBR’s program and in overall UBR project activities as one of the youths.
