Family involvement key to women's empowerment initiatives: Bobby Hajjaj
He stresses expanding girls’ access to education and skills training to help them make informed decisions.
Training and employment opportunities alone are not enough to ensure the sustainable empowerment of adolescent girls and young women outside formal education. Efforts must also build their confidence, communication skills and awareness of their rights while involving their families, said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the "Her Skills, Her Future" project at a city hotel in Dhaka today (12 October).
Hajjaj said initiatives targeting women, particularly those from rural and economically disadvantaged communities, must consider their family and social circumstances. Involving families in action plans can help women develop their capabilities and achieve economic independence, he added.
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Implemented jointly by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) and Unicef, the project aimed to help adolescent girls and young women outside formal education become self-reliant through vocational and life skills training aligned with labour market demands and improved access to employment.
The state minister stressed the importance of developing women's confidence, understanding of their rights and ability to make life decisions alongside their economic skills. Communication skills are also essential for securing jobs and establishing businesses, as they help women present their products and services effectively, he said.
On preventing child marriage, Hajjaj said concerns about family security, social pressure and economic uncertainty often lead families to marry off girls at an early age. Expanding girls' access to education, skills training and income-generating opportunities would help them make informed decisions about their futures, he added.
He also emphasised that legal protection and awareness-raising must be accompanied by economic opportunities to strengthen women's position within their families and society. Efforts to prevent child marriage and protect women's rights should therefore be integrated with education, skills development and economic initiatives, he said.
Unicef Bangladesh Acting Representative Jillian Mellsop and Koica Bangladesh Country Director Jihoon Kim attended as special guests. Representatives from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education and various public and private organisations were also present.
