Incidents of child marriage and abuse have risen alarmingly during the Covid-19 pandemic, even though the Bangladesh government remains committed to ending forced and child marriage by 2030.
The financial burden of the Covid-19 pandemic is proving to be a major challenge, leading some families to consider early marriage so that there are fewer mouths to feed.
According to a phone survey conducted by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) in 53 districts, 462 girls were victims of child marriage, and 206 child marriages were stopped by MJF partner organizations and local leaders in June alone. There were 160 child marriages and 233 were stopped in May.
This amounts to a 262% rise in the number of child marriages from May to June. The survey also noted that many cases of child marriage may have gone unreported due to the pandemic.
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and Unicef, a total 19.8% of women currently aged 15-49 were married before they turned 15.
‘I did not want to miss the chance to marry off my daughter’
Dhaka Tribune talked to two families in Kishoreganj district who married off daughters during the Covid-19 pandemic.
One family did not allow this correspondent to speak to the girl who is just 15 years old, and was married in June.
The girl’s mother said: “My husband is a mason, but he has had no work for the last few months because of Covid-19. Two months ago, when I got a good proposal for my daughter and the groom’s family did not demand a dowry, I did not want to miss the chance to marry off my daughter.”
Another victim of child marriage, who is a 10th grader, said she was forced to marry with almost no notice or opportunity to contact the people or authorities who could have stopped it.
The girl’s father has a disability and her mother does not work. The only earning member of the family is the girl’s autorickshaw driver brother.
When her brother’s income fell during the pandemic, the girl’s family arranged her marriage to a 24-year-old boy in May.
“I was not prepared for marriage and said that I did not want to get married and wanted to continue my studies. My family forced me to marry in a matter of one night and I did not have any opportunity to inform the people who work to stop child marriage,” the 10th grader said.
She also said she was married in a religious ceremony without a proper registration process.
‘Marrying off daughters a negative strategy’
Experts say traditional attitudes and social norms in rural areas need to change. Families falsely believe marrying off daughters is an effective strategy to deal with financial hardship.
They also said having daughters at home due to school closures is making many rural families insecure about their future.
Md Faridul Alam, project coordinator of Kishoreganj-based organization People's Oriented Program Implementation (POPI), said: “Many people in the villages feel insecure with their daughter in the house with all the schools closed due to Covid-19. They think they can save on food costs by marrying off their daughter.”
MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam said: “The traditional attitude and social norms are leading parents to marry off their daughters to alleviate economic hardship, but this is a negative strategy. The mindset needs to be changed.”
General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Maleka Banu, said the policies necessary to stop child marriage have been enacted but are not being implemented properly, a view echoed by Shaheen Anam.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Fazilatunnesa Indira, and Secretary Kazi Rowshan Akhter, could not be reached for comment.
‘I do not think any girl wants to be married that way’
A study by Plan International Bangladesh found that 3-4% of child marriages in nine upazilas of Kurigram were stopped between April to June. From January to March, 14-24% of child marriages were stopped.
The highest number of child marriages, 67, were recorded in June.
A 16 year old girl who spoke out and managed to stop her child marriage said: “I just passed my secondary exam with good results and was waiting for admittance to a good college when my parents arranged my marriage. I managed to stop my marriage, but I know some of the other girls in my village could not.
“I wish I could stop all these kinds of marriages as I believe no girl wants to get married like this,” she added.
Each year, approximately 12 million girls around the world are married off before the age of 18 - nearly one girl every three seconds.
A United Nations report made the prediction that the pandemic could lead to an additional 13 million child marriages over the next decade.
Child Rights Week 2020 is being observed from 5-11 October. National Girl Child Day is to be celebrated in Dhaka on Tuesday.