Now Bangladesh is progressing fast but child marriage is still an atrocity in both urban and rural areas.
Villages experience a greater percentage of child marriage than do cities. Although legislation against child marriage has reduced the number of child marriages, the rate of child marriage has not. When it comes to child marriage in South Asia, Bangladesh is still at the top! UNICEFs State of the Worlds Children report claims that Bangladesh has the fourth-highest rate of female child marriage worldwide.
Education is a fundamental right of every child, and it plays a vital role in shaping their future. Several studies have shown that early marriage reduces the girl childs chances of continuing her education and achieving academic success. Early marriage has a bad impact on the academic performance of the girl child in Bangladesh. Envision a young girl, whose eyes are burning with a desire to learn, her mind full of questions. Seated in a classroom, she is enthusiastic to learn the teachings that will lead her to a better future.
But for many Bangladeshi girls, the opportunity is cruelly taken from them when they are just 13 or 14 or even 12 years old, as hardship and the pressure of societal norms force them into the shackles of an early marriage.However, the Bangladeshi government has passed a number of regulations to stop child marriage, such as the Child Marriage Restriction Act, which forbids the marriage of boys under the age of 21 and girls under the age of 18. However, the majority of rural people and their households refuse to accept it, and they frequently disobey this law-especially when it comes to girls.
According to UNICEF, one in three females is married before turning eighteen in Bangladesh. As per the State of World Population Report 2023, 51 percent of girls are getting married before turning 18 in Bangladesh. That means, thousands of bright young minds will be forced to depart their classrooms and enter the world of domesticity. The repercussions are severe; less educational attainment, less opportunity, and a higher chance of poverty and medical issues. The impact on academic performance is devastating. Research has demonstrated a clear link between early marriage and poorer educational attainment among girls. The longer they attend school, the more probable it is that they will finish their degree, land a job that pays more, and end the cycle of poverty that frequently supports this detrimental behavior.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBAIS), total enrollment rate of female students at the secondary level in 2022 was 83.20 percent while the dropout rate was 40.78 percent, Here one of the factors contributing to girls early school dropout is child marriage. Early pregnancy can also have a serious negative impact on the physical health of the female child. Pregnancy and childcare obligations may cause the female child to drop out of school, which would reduce her academic progress.
Early marriage is not only a matter of easier than other issues.Its a tragedy of humanity. It deprives females of their youth, their agency, and their freedom to choose for themselves. They become caught in a vicious circle of vulnerability as a result, leaving them more vulnerable to health issues, restricted economic options, and an increased risk of domestic abuse. Many girls who are forced into early marriage experience emotional and psychological trauma due to the lack of autonomy and control over their lives. The trauma may cause them to experience anxiety, sadness, or other mental health issues that may affect their academic performance and cognitive functioning.
Fauzia Moslem, the president of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, stated that child marriage has a profound impact on womens empowerment since it deprives them of all of their rights from an early age. An early marriage denies a girl her rights to a career, reproductive health, education, and the ability to live her life as she pleases. Eventually, it also makes her a burden to her family and the community. She also said, The Child Marriage Restriction Act of 2017 is not being implemented robustly because the state system isn operating correctly.
Bangladeshs complicated situation with regard to child marriage is exacerbated by poverty, violence, social and cultural norms, gender discrimination, low levels of education, and insufficient legal protection. Due to patriarchal standards that limit girls freedom and devalue them, families are frequently forced to marry their daughters off young. The prevalence of it is influenced by a lack of knowledge and awareness of the long-term effects. A research was done by BRAC, New York University, and UN Women. 150 instances of child marriage were discovered during the studys reference period, which ran from April to October 2020, after 6,360 families were examined. The brides were under the age of 16 in 30% of instances and under the age of 18 in 39% of cases.
The lack of time and resources available to females after marriage is another factor contributing to the reduction in academic achievement. There is limited time for study because many girls are expected to take care of their husbands household and domestic activities. In addition, a lot of families think its a waste of money to send a girl to school; therefore they put marriage precedence over education. This societal attitude towards girls education perpetuates the cycle of early marriage and limits their opportunities for academic success.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3 calls for the abolition of all harmful practices pertaining to girls by 2030, including female genital mutilations and early and forced marriage of girls.The national goal established by the government is to eradicate child marriages by 2041. Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, made a commitment to minimize child marriage in the country and to completely eradicate it by 2041 during the July 2014 Girl Summit in London.
The fight against early marriage is not simply about defending individual girls; its also about defending Bangladeshs future. We are able to unleash the enormous potential of girls and create a fairer and more equitable society for all by supporting their education and self-determination. Instead of spreading the seeds of early marriage on Bangladeshs fertile fields, lets encourage girls ambitions, let them grow and yield fruit, and let their efforts and abilities benefit the country. Lets make sure that every young girl in Bangladesh has the freedom to follow her dreams, her education, and her proper position in this countrys sun-drenched substance.
The writer is a BSS student of department of public administration, Comilla University and she also member of Social Research Group (SRG), Comilla University
