Tackling child marriage in Bangladesh

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Tackling child marriage in Bangladesh

Tackling child marriage in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, child marriage is a serious problem. The number of young girls that get married is eleven times higher than boys. Our recent study has found that one in four girls in Bangladesh is married by the age of 14. Child marriage is especially common in poverty-prone, rural areas.

We take a look at the stories of five girls from Bangladesh who were either forced to give up their education in order to marry and raise families or who have escaped child marriage and advocate against the practice in their communities.

Monika was 16 when she was forced into marriage with a 19-year-old boy from her village in Dinajpur region. After they were married, they had a baby together. Monika's husband mistreated her. He even tried to kill her and eventually fled to another village. Monika is now living with her mother again.

Tohura holding her baby in her arms at her home in Dinajpur region

Tohura married a 21-year-old man when she was just 11. They both say they were in love and Tohura has always been treated well by her husband.

wedding busters

Radha, is a child rights activist from in Dinajpur region who escaped child marriage when she was 14. She is now helping other girls who are at risk from being married off.

She is a member of our Wedding Busters group who raise awareness in their community about the negative impact of child marriages.

We work with girls to develop their leadership and mentoring skills as peer educators. In turn, the girls mentor and work with children to raise awareness on how to prevent child marriage. Karate is one of the methods Radha uses to help girls become more empowered.

Keya doesn't want to get married yet, she wants to study

Keya, 17, doesn't want to get married yet, she wants to continue her studies. Her mother married at 16 and her grandmother married at 13.

Young mothers at health centre in Dinajpur region — Child marriage puts a girl’s health and wellbeing at serious risk. It can lead to girls experiencing violence, sexual abuse, premature pregnancies, and death in childbirth

Activist Lipi, member of a Plan-supported child rights group

We support child marriage prevention projects in Dinajpur district, an area which has low literacy, poverty and limited income opportunities. Youth activist Lipi, works in her community to raise awareness of the negative impact of child marriage.

Help us ensure that all girls can marry who they want, when they way, and if they want.