A Young Leader on a Quest
By Falguni Mazumder17-year-old Nayeem has stopped 37 child marriages, assisted two child victims of sexual abuse and helped rescue one child from being trafficked. The child forum leader in Bangladesh fights for justice for these girls.
Nayeem lost both of his parents at a very young age, and now lives with his aunt and uncle in a slum in Tongi. At first he was shy, and terrified of speaking in public, until one day, Nayeem learnt about a child forum run by World Vision Bangladesh. Out of curiosity, he quickly began attending the meetings.
"I did not know about children's rights before. However, after attending the sessions, I discovered that I, too, was a victim of child labour and abuse," says Nayeem.
In a country like Bangladesh, child trafficking, child marriage, and child labour are common. Nayeem actively participated in training sessions about child safety, youth journalism, and an advocacy campaign "It Takes Me", and began to contribute to leadership activities. Nayeem and his friends trained 1,300 children about child safety, child law, and child rights. He has also enlightened both his family and others in his community about the importance of children's rights, and informs the local police when he sees examples of the abuse of children's rights.