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Child marriage remains a significant issue in Bangladesh, despite ongoing efforts to combat it. However, a recent project aimed at empowering girls in rural areas has demonstrated promising outcomes in addressing this deeply rooted social problem.
In Bangladesh, child marriage is illegal but continues to be widely practiced due to cultural acceptance and weak law enforcement. According to UNICEF, more than half (51%) of young women aged 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18. The country counts approximately 38 million child brides, with 13 million of these marriages occurring before girls reach the age of 13. The prevalence of child marriage is especially high in impoverished and environmentally vulnerable regions, where families, often burdened by poverty, resort to marrying off their daughters early as a financial coping strategy. Experts emphasize that poverty remains the primary driver, exacerbated by climate disasters that have triggered noticeable increases in child marriages in affected areas.
One initiative confronting this challenge directly took place in the remote Kurigram district through the efforts of Action Aid, an international charity focused on working with women and girls experiencing poverty. Over a year-long pilot, the program offered financial aid to families, which included scholarships to keep girls in school, coverage of school fees, and lump sums to support income-generating activities such as purchasing livestock. Additionally, the charity set up youth clubs with 120 members, providing a safe environment for girls to share challenges, exchange experiences, and actively intervene to prevent child marriages.
The results reported by Action Aid are encouraging: the initiative helped stop at least 18 child marriages, awarded scholarships to 40 vulnerable students, and created new income opportunities for 30 families. Romana, vice president of one youth club, explained how she helped prevent her own early marriage and that of a close friend. “We all came together and intervened,” she said. “We explained the harmful consequences of child marriage, emphasised the importance of education and informed her father about the legal implications. We also involved her school teachers to help reinforce the message and successfully stopped the marriage.” Abdullah Al Mamun, who leads Action Aid Bangladesh’s child sponsorship and child rights program, expressed hope that the model would be expanded to other areas and urged local authorities to strengthen enforcement of the laws against child marriage
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