With 44 percent of the girls aged between 15 and 19 too short for their age, Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest number of stunted adolescent girls after Guatemala, medical journal The Lancet says.
Short height exposes them to the risk of complicated pregnancy and childbirth and poor fetal growth.
The findings were made public during the Dhaka launch of ‘The Lancet’ series on maternal and child nutrition released last month in London, nearly five years after a similar series in 2008.
It says adolescence is a period of rapid growth and maturation from childhood to adulthood. But in low and middle-income countries like Bangladesh they are three times more likely to bear a child that researchers found ‘further slow and stunt their growth’.The Lancet series called for concerted actions including engaging the ‘private sector’ to combat the menace malnutrition which it said held back economic growth of a nation.
The new set has been released at a time when the world is preparing for the next development agenda after 2015, the deadline for the current UN-prescribed MDGs.
It called for countries to make political commitments to address malnutrition as researchers found it evident that “good nutrition is a fundamental driver of a wide range of developmental goals”.
It said the post-2015 development agenda “must put addressing all forms of malnutrition at the top of its goals”.
The series have found that under-nutrition has dropped worldwide but not at a pace to catch the World Health Assembly’s target to cut 40 percent deaths by 2025.
Still malnutrition —stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies—accounts for more than 3 million deaths each year and an estimated 165 million children under five are stunted because of poor nutrition.
Researchers also found that maternal and child malnutrition leads to a whole host of health and economic problems, including preterm and low birth weight babies, cognitive deficits, stunted growth and death.
But the prevalence of malnutrition is more in poor and middle-income countries than others.It is noted that progress has been made following steps after The Lancet 2008 series generated evidence calling for effective interventions and delivery strategies.
The 2013 issue makes ten specific recommendations the 90 percent coverage of which in 34 most malnourished countries, it says, could save nearly a million of lives a year at a cost of $9.6 billion.
These include: universal salt iodization, the promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding, micronutrient supplementation for all pregnant women, calcium supplements for pregnant women who need them; food supplements for pregnant women who need them; vitamin A supplements for children between six months and five years; zinc supplements for children between one and five years; education about appropriate complementary feeding, backed by supplements where needed; proper management of moderately acute malnutrition; and proper management of severe acute malnutrition.
It suggested continued investments in nutrition-specific measures to avert maternal and child under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies through community engagement and delivery strategies that can reach poor segments of the population “can make a great difference”.
If this improved access is linked to nutrition-sensitive approaches like women’s empowerment, agriculture, food systems, education, employment, social protection, and safety nets, The Lancet says, they can greatly accelerate progress in countries with the highest burden of maternal and child under-nutrition and mortality.
However, these interventions drew flak in India, where the Indian Academy of Paediatrics expressed misgivings as most of the recommendations were found to be product-based approaches and there was a call to engage private sector.
The issue is contentious given the past history with marketing of breast-milk substitutes by the private companies.
In a statement they said the new set of papers on malnutrition “should not be allowed to become an opportunity for commercial exploitation of malnutrition”.
They also pointed out that two of The Lancet authors work with the Micronutrient Initiatives (MI) that work on micronutrients.
A director of ICDDR, B Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, an author of The Lancet, replying a question said he personally did not “think it (engaging private sector) should be a problem”.
He was presenting his part at ICDDR, on Tuesday at the launching.
“Government alone cannot do everything. We need to engage the private sector, NGOs and everyone,” he said. Dr Ahmed said he knew one of the authors sat in the MI’s governing board. “But MI works with governments in different countries”.
However, The Lancet’s lead author Robert Black while presenting the series said there were ‘risks and potentials’ to engage private sector to deal with nutritional issues.
But he suggested regulations and monitoring.
The British medical journal influences policy decisions.
In the 2008 series, it identified the need to focus on the first 1000 days, from conception to age 2, in which nutrition interventions have the greatest impact.
Later this “window of opportunity” became critical for both programming and advocacy efforts.
This series also include the growing problem of maternal and child overweight and obesity, which can cause complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
The health minister AFM Ruhal Haque, who was present during the presentation, asked the researchers to find out something “which is locally available for ensuring sustainable nutritional growth”.
Save the Children’s country director Michael McGrath said this Lancet would contribute significantly in combating malnutrition.
He said with a large young and growing population, Bangladesh had to make sure that they were ‘equipped to contribute effectively’ to make the country a middle-income one.
“This is not just about dealing with the issue of hunger…this is about contributing to make Bangladesh lead in the world,” he said as The Lancet found under-nutrition’s link in 10 percent economic growth reduction.
Source: bdnews24
WHY THE BACK-STREET ABORTION IS BOOMING IN SECULAR BANGLADESH?
Sultana Chakrabarty, a foreign funded NGO employee in Bangladesh, an agnostic believes, “society, state, government got no right to say who marries whom and consenting sexual intercourse taking place, or living-together of adults cannot be banned by anyone that is against our secular SACRED “ SHUMOHAN/DIVINE” CONSTITUTION & human rights. We have to nurture the spirit of Freedom struggle (MUKTIJUDDO) and exterminate “COMMUNALISM”(aka Islam?)
SINCE GHADANIK FELLOW ARIFIN SIDDIQI GOT HIS POLITICAL APPOINTMENT AS THE V.C. OF DHAKA UNIVERSITY SOME SAY THE INSTITUTION HAS BECOME A SEX-PARLOUR. (1)—-
IF YOU ARE A VILLAGE GIRL WANT TO STUDY IN ANY UNIVERSITY IN THE CAPITAL, PARTICULARLY DHAKA UNIVERSITY, CONTACT A LEADER OF STUDENT LEAGUE, THE ALL POWERFUL CADRE OF THE RULING PARTY, YOU WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM IN GETTING ADMISSION IF YOU LET HIM AND HIS MATES HAVE SEX WITH YOU THAT INCLUDES SOME TEACHERS. AS A STUDENT YOU WOULD NEVER FACE ANY PROBLEM WITH MONEY. YOU WILL GET ACCOMMODATION IN ANY GIRL HOSTEL, AND NO MATTER WHAT IS MERITS YOU WILL GET A SECOND CLASS DEGREE CERTIFICATE AT THE END AND A LUCRATIVE GOVERNMENT JOB AFTERWARDS: NOW YOU KNOW WHY THE UK DOES NOT RECOGNISE DEGREE CERTIFICATE FROM BANGLADESH, WHY THE BACK-STREET ABORTION IS BLOOMING”. -A girl student from Begum Sufia Kamal Hall, Dhaka on condition of anonymity. – Monnujan Ara Kumkum, Dhaka:04.07.13 (2)—
Not enough facilities for girls at DHAKA UNIVERSITY : Mohiuddin Alamgir and Sardar Mahabbat Ali . http://www.newagebd.com. 03.07.2013.
Female students in Dhaka University continue to face sexual harassment by fellows and teachers and an acute accommodation crisis, suffer because of poor sanitation and games facilities in their academic life. Girl students alleged that they often fell victim to sexual harassment by their fellows and male teachers. They hardly lodge complains with the authorities as offenders fearing social harassment and also because the offenders in almost no cases were punished. Officials in the proctor’s office said that they had received at least 60 complaints against students and 25 against teachers in three years.‘No teachers have been punished even after allegations of sexual harassment are proved in the past 10 years. Only 14 students were expelled for three months to two years in the past three years,’ a proctorial body member of the university said. He said that investigations proved true allegations of sexual harassment a girl levelled against political science teacher Amran Hossain in 2012 and the teacher was forced to go on leave. (3)—-
Also in 2012, the authorities sent economics teacher Rushad Faridi on forced leave for an indefinite period on charges of sexually harassing a female student of the department, he said. Mahmood Hasan, a fisheries science professor, was sent on forced leave by the authorities for sexually harassing the department’s female students in 2012. ‘The incidents of sexual harassment continued apace as the offenders are not punished,’ he said. Female students lodged complaints against tourism and hospitality department chair Afjal Hossain, assistant professor of Persian Abu Musa Arif Billah, assistant professor of Urdu Muhammad Ishrafil, lecturer in statistics Ehsanuddin, professor of Arabic ATM Fakhruddin, Islamic history teacher Mahmudur Rahman Bahalul and othersin the past three years, the proctorial member said. A number of female students alleged that they had faced stalking, obscene remarks, indecent proposals and vulgar bodily gestures. According to the registrar’s office, there are 47,800 students, including examines of fine-year bachelor’ and master’s courses and at least 17,000 of them are female. (4)—
According to the DU engineering office, the university can accommodate only 4,300 female students in four halls and a hostel and more than 9,000 female students live in the halls and the hostel. The Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitri Hall has 360 seats, the Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall 508 seats, the Roquiah Hall 1,618 seats, the Shamsunnahar Hall 688 seats and the Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hostel 160 seats and the Sufia Kamal Hall 1,000 seats. A number of residential students if the Roquiah Hall and the Kuwait Maitree hall alleged that they had no games facilities. ‘In our hall, we have a games room but the table tennis board is folded and carrom board is in a bad shape’ a Roquiah Hall resident said. A sociology student said that they faced an acute problem of sanitation in the arts faculty building. There are only two washrooms in the girls’ common room but there are at least 30 washrooms for boys. Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor SMA Faiz said that the proctorial body should be more vigilant regarding sexual harassment. (5)—
‘All teachers should be brought under disciplinary action if they are found involved in such activities. The administration should not take side with teachers,’ he said. The acting proctor AM Amzad said that they followed a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual harassment on the campus. ‘We always take immediate action against offenders whether they are students or teachers if they are found guilty.’ Asked why teachers are only sent on forced leave even after allegations are proved true, Amzad said, ‘This is unfortunate. They should be severely punished.’The vice-chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, said that they took action against offenders. He said that the number of female students was almost similar to that of male students but the number of toilets for female students was not adequate.‘We are trying to provide adequate sanitation facilities for female students in the new buildings still under construction. . But it is not possible to increase the number of toilets in the existing buildings,’ he said.‘We have built the Sufia Kamal Hall to ease the accommodation crisis,’ he said. (6)–