Meghla Akter on Avoiding Child Marriage
In Bangladesh, 52% of girls are married by their 18th birthday. In more rural communities, the numbers are even worse, where 71% of girls are married before the age of 18.
Meghla Akter was almost forced into marrying a 30 year old man at 13, when her mother threatened to kill herself if she didn’t go through with the marriage. She managed to escape to a friend’s house, where she took refuge. Her mother refused to talk to her for three months and restricted her education. With time, Meghla was able to return to school and about to start at university.
At 18, she wants to help other girls and boys who are facing similar situations. Meghla currently serves as the vice-chairperson of the World Vision’s Child Forum, where she works to prevent child marriage in Bangladesh. She was recently named in Ashoka Bangladesh Change Maker.
Links from this episode
Girls Not Brides
Girls Not Brides Facebook
Girls Not Brides Twitter
The Teenager Fighting Against Child Marriage in Bangladesh
World Vision
Transcript
Jennie: Welcome to rePROs Fight Back a podcast on all things repro. I'm your host Jennie Wetter. In each episode, I'll be taking you to the front lines of the escalating fight over our sexual and reproductive health and rights at home and abroad. Each episode, I will be speaking with leaders who are fighting to protect our reproductive health and rights to ensure that no one's reproductive health depends on where they live. It's time for repros to fight back.
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Jennie: Hi everybody and welcome to this week's episode of rePROs Fight Back. This week, we have an interview that I'm really excited for you all to hear. While I was at the Girls Not Brides conference this past June, I got a chance to interview an amazing young woman, Meghla Akter. Her family tried to marry her off when she was just 13 years old. Meghla was able to stop the marriage, and now at 18 she's getting ready for university and fighting to stop other child marriages. She's pretty amazing and I can't wait for y'all to hear what she has to say, but before I get to the interview, just a couple of quick housekeeping things. First, I want to say a huge thank you to the people who have recently rated and reviewed the podcast. It really helps other people find us. So thank you so much. If you would like to help other people find us, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review us. Next you still have time to enter our giveaway. So if you want a chance to win fun rePROs Fight Back swag, reach out to us on social media at rePROs Fight Back on Facebook and Twitter, or reprosfb on Instagram, which is new. Um, and tell us a topic that we have covered that you particularly loved or a topic you would love to see us cover. This gives us a chance to get to know our audience a little better and I could make sure that I'm covering topics you want to hear. So thank you so much for your, everybody who's already submitted. I've really enjoyed seeing what you've recommended and I can't wait to see what everybody else has to suggest. So make sure that you reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter at rePROs Fight Back or on Instagram at reprosfb and tell us a topic that we have covered that you particularly loved or something that you really want to see us cover. Okay. Now onto my interview with Meghla.
Jennie: So I'm excited to be here with the wonderful youth activist from Bangladesh called Meghla Akter. Meghla, Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Meghla: Okay. Uh, I'm Meghla Akter from Bangladesh. I'm now 18 years old and I'm grade 12 and I'm a member of... from Bangladesh.
Jennie: Why don't you tell us a little bit about, uh, your story?
Meghla: I was 13 years old so, um, my mother fixed my marriage, the boy living abroad. He's Bangladeshi, but he's abroad at age thirty and uh, my marriage or over the telephone and I was in grade nine. And uh, I have no father. He died six years and I have one brother and sister. They are living with my auntie. So that time I joined the, well we should at least be class life is called best education. Then I go to house other side, going to meetings at the station training. So my family, tell me why you go other side. You are [inaudible] garden, you are don't drive. So I didn't get, I go cause I learned more things and I enjoyed the class. Then one time my aunt talked to my mother and telling them make going to other sites. It's not good. Good cause of um, of uh, you are Muslim and you are called. So my mother asked and worried why my daughter, other, other side. And that time my mother, uh, fixed my marriage and um, tried to convince my mother but my mother do not understand my feeling. And I have, uh, I live in large family, so our whole family wants that. And I'm on one side. The one time I, my marriage time is coming and that, then I continue my school exam first examination there. So I attend the exam and I don’t go back my home. My wedding day, I, I go to take shelter, friends house and my marriage fixed cause I don't want get married but my mother treat me, my mother told me “you don't get married so I'm suicide. So I'm nervous and I'm worried. Oh my mother, my mother suicide. So I have one brother and sister. Her Future, my futures died.” So one time I okay. I agree. Okay. I'm getting married but my heart not support me. So I go back home. I go to my friend's house, then I came back my home and my mother talked, stopped, talked to me two months and she overall is stopped my education. Um..everything So, um, that time I feel really pained. So now she's okay and restart my relation, my mother now proud of me.
Jennie: Great. You were able to continue your schooling?
Meghla: Yeah, I [inaudible] now I complete my grade 12.
Jennie: That's great. So you're gonna graduate this year?
Meghla: Yeah. Um, after one month publish my result, then I admit university.
Jennie: Congratulations! That's exciting.
Meghla: Yeah. Thank you.
Jennie: So, what are you working on? So you're working in a school, but are you working on other projects? Right?
Meghla: Uh, I joined, uh, World Vision Bangladesh, under 18 a [inaudible] from and uh, uh, it didn't [inaudible] … youth support, the telephone and tell from doing the work cause a brief people employee one child talk does the time and listening to the child. And uh, the, I think this child now he's good working and the child is sharing her problem is really good. And everyone is talking to child and listening to child. Uh we have a child… we work with girls, boys, parents, school teachers, everyone. And uh, you know, Bangladesh child marriage rate is very high. So, uh, I um, I faced my own child marrige, I, realized what, what being, I feel that being, so I don't want any girl get child married. So I interested working the children and so that's why I'm uh, our, the girls and the boys. Uh, some training, some station, some meeting and um, many times we are advocate our government people, serve civil society. There's, and, uh, we made a good collaboration police station. And um, we are mean working, working type where um, it's to drama. Postering and dancing some cause young people and children are not interested in listening. They're interested in looking at thing and drumming. And the last 18 months, uh, we uh stopped 13 child marriages.
Jennie: That's amazing.
Meghla: Yeah. And by myself last two months two child marriages stopped.
Jennie: Oh you did a great job.
Meghla: Yeah.
Jennie: Uh, so is this something you want to keep working on?
Meghla: Yeah.
Jennie: So you're going to be starting university soon. Is this, um, where you see yourself working in the future? Or do you just think about something else?
Meghla: I want good graduation and then get the good job. And, uh, allies include that child, a child brides, child marriage. I like it cause, uh, any girls, uh, come with me and telling to me, sister, you saved my life. So I feel really, really proud.
Jennie: Yeah. I mean it makes a huge difference. Look at you, right? You're going to go to university soon. You definitely probably would've had that opportunity if you had gotten married when you were 13. Right?
Meghla: Yeah. [inaudible]
Jennie: Yeah. So I just to be able to do that for other girls, that's gotta be a great feeling for you.
Meghla: Yeah.
Jennie: Okay. Well thank you for being here and talking about, uh, your story and all the great things you're doing and we look forward to seeing more great things from you in the future.
Meghla: Oh, thank you so much. And thank you for listen to me.
Jennie: Thanks for listening everyone. And we'll see you on our next episode of repros fight back. For more information, including show notes from this episode and previous episodes, please visit our website at reprosfightback.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at repros fight back. If you like our show, please help others find it by sharing it with your friends and subscribing, rating and reviewing us on iTunes. Thanks for listening.
At just 18, Meghla Akter wants to help other girls and boys who may be facing early and child marriage. Interested in learning more about Meghla's work? Check out the VICE article The Teenager Fighting Against Child Marriage in Bangladesh. You can also check out World Vision.
If you want to learn more about child marriage rates in Bangladesh, check out Girls Not Brides' info page here. You can also visit Girls Not Brides for information on child marriage throughout the world.
Use the hashtag #EndChildMarriage on social media and spread the message that it is far past time the practice of child marriage comes to a close.