The speakers at a seminar on Monday said that underage marriages were the biggest threat to reproductive health.
The event was organised by the Social Harmony Awareness Development Organisation (SHADO) and aimed at creating awareness about reproductive health and social barriers to it.
SHADO programme manager Ahsan Khaliq moderated the seminar held at Government Boys High School in Nawabpur. More than 700 people, including students from other schools in the area, attended the seminar. Primary school students were not admitted.
The seminar was followed by a theatre performance.
Programme Officer Rana Zulfiqar told The Express tribune that the play had especially been made part of the activity to make students aware of the hazards of underage marriage.
“Students learn better when the lessons are acted out. They become part of the performance and remember it for a long time,” he said.
Capt (retired) Nasir Mahay, the chief guest, said it was the parents’ duty to make their children aware of their rights and a healthy life. He hoped that teachers would continue to guide their students about the importance of reproductive health.
Principal Saeed Ahmed Langrial said one of the biggest challenges the society currently faced was that young people were not aware of reproductive health rights.
Muhammad Riaz, father of two students at the school, praised the administration for arranging the activity. He said the children were taught in a very “smooth and inoffensive manner”.
The play told the story of a young woman whose life is ruined due to early marriage. It emphasised on the rights of women and children.
Khaliq said that the activity was organised at a school, because awareness-raising was not only the responsibility of non government organisations.
He said SHADO planned to organise a series of 50 shows at major schools in the district in collaboration with the district administration and the Education Department. He said the lack of awareness about reproductive health led to serious health problems and in extreme cases deaths of the mother and the newborn.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2013.