'Child marriage leaves worst impact on social and health issues'

Girls need to be equipped with life skills which need to be part of curriculum to deal health and social issues in well manner. This was discussed by the speakers at the end of the three-day cascade workshop on peer education, health awareness, life skills and leadership skills for 30 girls of different three government girl's high schools of district Tando Muhammad Khan. The workshop was organised by Sindh Community Foundation in cooperation with Positive Action for Girls and Women.
The speakers including Dr Poonam Luhana, Javed Hussain, Aisha Agha covered the topic of peer education, life skills and leadership skills, motivation, career planning, health issues and child marriage. Dr Poonam said that child marriage also leaves worst impact on the life on women's health causes of social, psychological and mental disturbance. She said that child marriage disproportionately and negatively affects girls who are more likely to be married as children than boys.
Javed Hussain of SCF said more than halves, ie, 57.9 percent of the total population of the country is comprised of youth. Youth is the major group of productive group of country's population and hence it is important that this group is to be healthy physically, mentally and culturally. He further said that at present context where the world is moving in faster pace, youth are facing various problems in the course of creating space for themselves and competent. He said that education system should address the health problems and other emerging social issues which hamper the empowerment and confidence of girls. He emphasizes that life skills should be part of the curriculum. Speaker Aisha Agha took session on motivation and gender.
The girl students took active part in the training programme and shared their experience and views on various social and health issues.
At the closing ceremony of workshop, girls participants Saira, Saba, Keejhar said that they shared at the end of the workshop expressed great awareness and increased in confidence and proposed such interactive leadership workshops at schools. They said that they got clear understanding regarding health and social issues during the lectures given by Dr Poonam and other speakers.