Child marriages in Bangladesh on rise, over 40 per cent young women married before 18

A latest Bangladesh government survey of married women aged between 20 and 24 in more than 308,000 households nationwide has exposed a distressing reality. The Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics-2023 (BSVS-2023), conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), showed that at least 41.6 per cent of these young women were married before reaching the age of 18.

This data shows that child marriage is a major issue in Bangladesh, with girls being married off before the age of 18. This also revelation a concerning increase in child marriages over the past three years as the percentage in 2020 was at 31.3.

Moreover, in 2022, the survey found that 40.9 per cent of women were married before turning 18, and it was 32.4 per cent in 2021.

The shocking report does not cite the reasons behind the situation, however, several factors reportedly contribute to the prevalence of child marriage in Bangladesh.

This includes poverty, lack of education, and cultural and social norms. Notably, in many rural areas, girls are seen as economic burdens and so marrying them off at a young age is considered a way to reduce financial strain on families.

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There is another troubling statistics which shows that in 2023, 8.2 per cent of young women were married off before the tender age of 15. This was a rise from 6.5 per cent the year before, in 2022.  

The legal age for marriage in Bangladesh is 18 years for females and 21 years for males under the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017.

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Even as this law tries to prevent child marriage and protect the rights of underage individuals, child marriage remains a prevalent issue in the country. 

Shaheen Anam, executive director of the Manusher Jonno Foundation, reportedly said, "The main drivers include social norms, in which marrying off daughters is perceived as a solution due to concerns about elopement; safety concerns, stemming from the belief that marrying off daughters at a young age provides security and safeguards their well-being in uncertain circumstances; and poverty, which is particularly prevalent in climate change-affected and remote areas where families see it as one less mouth to feed."