Child marriage is still increasing

DESPITE signs of progress, Bangladesh continues to have one of the highest child marriage rates in the world and 52 per cent of our girls are married under the age of 18 and 18 per cent by the age of 15. Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas where 71 per cent of girls are married before the age of 18, compared to 54 per cent in urban areas.

The minimum legal age for marriage in Bangladesh is 18 for women and 21 for men. The law also provides stricter punishments for those who marry children. A man or a woman who marries a child could face up to two years of imprisonment, a financial penalty of Tk.100,000 or both.

It is a matter of grave concern that the legal age of marriage for girls bears very little value in our rural areas. Girls are being married at a tender age and mostly subjected to physical and mental torture by families of their husbands. Some laws have already been made in this respect also although there are no effective impacts of the same. The concerned authorities should step up their efforts to prevent child marriages and save girls from being repressed. I would like to request our Honorable Prime Minister to look into the matter and use her good offices to issue necessary directives in this regard.

Sumon Kumar Paul

Village: Naihati; District: Khulna

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