Polbandha is a union under Islampur upazila of Jamalpur district. An enlightened woman and social worker Selina Begum is the inhabitant of Bahadurpur village of this union. Let us learn how she became a beacon of light.
In December 2022, UNICEF Bangladesh and Sabalamby Unnayan Samity (SUS) started to implement a project called Social and Behavior Change (SBC) in Islampur upazila of Jamalpur district. Selina participated regularly in the activities of this project out of her own interest. She is the chairperson of the Mothers Group of SBC project.
Through this project, she gained a new perspective on the issue of child marriage. Slowly, she began to understand the harmful effects of child marriage, as she herself had been a victim of it. Due to her family’s lack of awareness and pressure from neighbors; her father arranged her marriage when she was just a student in 8th grade.
As a young bride, Selina often made mistakes while performing household duties which led to mental and physical abuse- an unfortunate reality in a society where a girl, no matter how young, is expected to shoulder household responsibilities from the day of her marriage. Selina endured severe abuse at her in-laws’ house and even today, the memories bring tears to her eyes. She wishes to forget those painful days.
Seeing other girls in her village suffer the same fate due to child marriage pained her deeply but she did not know how to prevent it. That changed when she was inspired by the SBC project’s bi-monthly meetings, community dialogues, campaigns, school sessions and cultural programs like Baul (Folk) music. She was elected chairperson of the Mothers’ Group of SBC project.
Under the guidance of the project’s Community Facilitator (CF) and the Upazila Supervisor (US), Selina actively worked to prevent child marriages in her village. Her efforts led to the prevention of several child marriages, including those of girls named Chhoa Moni, Jhosna and Tamanna.
The officials from the Women Affairs Department in Islampur upazila Ms. Hosne Ara Begum and District Women Affairs Officer Ms. Kamrun Nahar learned about Selina’s work through the SBC project. In 2024, the Women Affairs Department, in collaboration with UNICEF Bangladesh and Sabalamby Unnayan Samity, invited nominations for the ‘Joyita’ recognition at the upazila level.
Responding to this call, Islampur SBC project office nominated five candidates. Among them, Selina Begum, as chairperson of the SBC project’s Mothers’ Group and Dipa, the chairperson of the Adolescents’ Group were recognized as the best ‘Joyitas’ on 9 December 2024. Dipa inspires others to continue their education and avoid child marriage despite financial difficulties while Selina Begum has become a role model in her fight against child marriage. UNICEF Bangladesh and Sabalamby Unnayan Samity are proud of their achievements.