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Also Via SVRI - Sexual Violence
Research Initiative
BANGLADESH - PARENTS STILL NOT
HEEDING CHILD MARRIAGE WARNINGS
Photo: David Swanson/IRIN
Many girls continue to marry before 15
DHAKA, 6 April 2011 (IRIN) -
Despite various government and non-governmental initiatives to stem child
marriage in
“Early marriage is a big problem for
Efforts have been, and are being, made to this end:
According to UNICEF’s 2011 State of the World’s Children report, about a third of
women in
The root causes of child marriage - the prospect of reduced dowry payments, and
fears of sexual harassment - are continuing to prompt parents to marry girls
off before they reach adulthood, according to Zinnat Afroze, a social
development adviser at Plan International,
In many cases, parents marry off their daughters at an early age to prevent
them from being stalked or sexually harassed, she said, adding: “Parents can
give less dowry money if they marry off their daughter at an early age.”
Law enforcement
According to the 1929 national Child Marriage Restraint Act, it is illegal for
parents to marry off children under 18.
Occasionally the authorities
have intervened to stop child marriages: In March police halted the wedding of
10-year-old Sathi Akter, daughter of an agricultural worker in Saturia village,
Manikganj District, 70km northwest of
But more often the law is not enforced, and parents marry off their daughters
secretly, with devastating consequences for their health and well-being.
“Early marriage means early pregnancy and there are serious health consequences
of early pregnancy. The maternal mortality rate is high among girls who are
married off at an early age,” Plan’s Afroze said.
Dulali Begum, married at 14, died during pregnancy. “She died from different
complications soon after her marriage,” said her father, Dudu Mia, a rickshaw
puller who lives in Mirer Bagh in
“I am responsible for my daughter’s death. If I had not married off my daughter
at 14, she would not have died... No one should make this mistake. Whenever I
get the chance, I ask every one not to marry off their daughters at an early
age,” said Mia.
Advocacy on the consequences of child marriage is the only way to put an end to
the harmful practice, according to Afroze.
“There should be massive awareness programmes from government, NGOs, civil
society and everyone to make people aware of the negative side of child
marriage. Only then can we stop it,” said Afroze.
Meanwhile, government officials say they are doing what they can: “We are
working to create massive awareness against early marriage through different
campaigns across the country. The government has also taken steps so that the
law is enforced properly,” said Tariq-ul-Islam, secretary to the Ministry of
Women’s and Children’s Affairs.