Child marriage is a significant problem in Bangladesh. Over 50% of girls in Bangladesh are married before 18, the eighth highest rate in South Asia. Poverty, gender discrimination, lack of women's empowerment, and climate change contribute to the practice. Child marriage can have severe adverse effects including increased maternal and infant mortality, domestic violence, and girls dropping out of school. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, child marriages increased 13% in Bangladesh. Prevention efforts include reducing poverty, increasing awareness programs, strong enforcement of child marriage laws, and improving education access.
2. CONTENTS
1.WHAT IS CHILD
MARRIAGE?
2. GLOBAL SCENARIO
3. BANGLADESH(CURRENT
SITUATION)
4. CAUSES OF CHILD
MARRIAGE
5.EFFECTS OF CHILD
MARRIAGE
6. PREVENTION
7. REFERENCES
3. WHAT IS CHILD MARRIAGE ?
Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union
between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child.
-UNICEF
According to child marriage restrain act of Bangladesh ‘child’
means a person who, if a male, under 21 years of age, and if a
female, under 18 years of age.
4. EVERY LAW HAS LOOPHOLE !
In Bangladesh, the government’s parliament
has approved what is called the “Child
Marriage Restraint Act 2017,” which allows
girls under 18 to marry with parental consent
and a court. The law sets no minimum age for
the parental consent clause.
http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-1207/section-45748.html
ref:
5. GLOBAL SCENARIO
37
29
32
20 21
16
10 9
12 14
18
8
75
68 66
63
55 55
52 52 50 48 48
45
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
NIGER CHAD BANGLADESH GUNEA MOZAMBIQUE MALI BURKINA FASO
SOUTH SUDAN MALAWI MADAGASCAR INDIA SOMALIA
Countries with the highest child marriage rate as of 2021
Under 15 Under 18
6. Bangladesh (Current Situation)
Bangladesh is
among the top 10
countries in the
world for child
marriage.
It is eighth from
the bottom in
South Asia
according to a UN
report that said
Bangladesh has a
51% child
marriage rate.
Bangladesh
witnessed a 13%
increase in child
marriages during
the Covid-19
pandemic last
year
Meherpur has
the highest
57.3% of child
marriage
Sylhet has the
lowest 11% of
child marriage
7. CAUSES OF CHILD MARRIAGE
CHILD
MARRIAGE
POVERTY
GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
INADEQUATE
LAW
SOCIAL
INSECURITY
DOWRY
LACK OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMWNT
CLIMATE CHANGE
In 2021,
COVID19
PENDAMIC
8. ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CHILD
MARRIAGE
CHILD
MARRIAGE
ADOLSCENT
MOTHERS
PREMATURE
BABIES
DOMESTIC
VIOLANCE
AGAINST WOMEN
SCHOOL
DROPOUT
9. ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CHILD MARRIAGE
PHYSICAL
•PREMATURE
PREGNANCY
•MATERNAL
MORTALITY
•INFANT
MORTALITY
•MALNUTRITIO
N
PSYCHOLOGICAL •ANXIETY
•DEPRESSION
•PTSD (POST
TRAUMATIC
STRESS
DISORDER)
EDUCATIONAL
•BARRIERS
AGAINST
EDUCATION
•INCREASES
ILLITERACY
RATE
HUMAN
RIGHTS
•VIOLATES
WOMEN’S
AND CHILD’S
RIGHT
•INTERRUPTS
FREEDOM
DOMESTIC
•INCREASE
POVERTY
•INCREASE
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
10. PREVENTION
Eradication of poverty from rural areas by taking several govt and
non-govt approaches
Create several Awareness programs among mass people, specially
for ‘high risk’ group and promote advocacy on this issue
Strong law enforcement implement and practice against child
marriage
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the birth and marriage
registration systems
Contents relating to Child marriage may be included within the
school curriculum
Primary education must be compulsory for every children
14. References
• Solutions to end child marriage BY ICRW.
• Statista.com
• https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/ending-child-marriage
• https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2021/03/28/child-marriage-up-13-during-covid-19-
pandemic-in-bangladesh
• https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/ending-child-marriage-profile-progress-bangladesh
• Brief on child marriage by Dr. Md. Nurul Islam
• GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS AND CONTEXTUAL EFFECT ON CHILD MARRIAGE IN BANGLADESH S. M.
Mostafa Kamal
• Mobile Based Age Verification before Marriage Registration to Stop Child Marriage Mustafizur Rahman
Director (innovation), a2i Program, PMO
• innovation.brac.net
• Causes and Effects of Child Marriage in Bangladesh: A Case Study at Halishahar, Chattogram,
Bangladesh Md. Manjur Hossain Patoari
• http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-1207/section-45748.html
