Curse of early marriage

The issues related to early marriage in Bangladesh were discussed at a recent discussion meeting in the city. Participants at there stated that the trend of early marriage, especially of females, was still found to be strong among the rural people of Bangladesh in a situation where the population of the country is preponderantly rural. Females in the higher classes are seen to be getting married later in life in comparison to rural women but they are still a small minority of the population. brBut the outcome of these practices is early motherhood with crushing burden of the same on these girls who have barely come out of childhood themselves. They lose their health in the process, many die while delivering babies and suffer other related health problems. The major casualty is their education leading to denial of awareness and consciousness and taking of the major decisions of their life such as marriage by themselves. The young and uneducated brides become the typical housekeepers and undernourished mothers of equally undernourished children. Early marriage means faster procreation and adding undesirably to the already existing high population growth of the country in its overpopulated conditions.brWomen constitute half the population of Bangladesh. The country's economy can gain a great deal if this half of the population can lead productive lives and are enabled to take conscious decisions of their own such as growing up to adulthood as single persons, marrying late and engaging in occupations outside the bounds of their homes. But this will require a social movement and the quicker it is launched by conscious groups in society, the better for the country in all respects.brFahmida AkhterbrBanani, Dhaka.