Researchers and social workers at a discussion meet yesterday called upon different sections of society to work towards ending adolescent pregnancy, which is attributed mostly to the high rate of child marriage in Bangladesh.
According to data presented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 133 out of 1,000 Bangladeshi girls, aged 10 to 15, gave birth in 1991-2010, whereas the world average for adolescent births was 49 out of 1,000.
Even more concerning, 66% of adolescent girls in Bangladesh are married off before they turn 18, while one out of 10 gives birth before the age of 15.
“Girls do not become pregnant by themselves. The men and the rest of society have a role to play as well, and should be held responsible,” Pornchai Suchitta, officer-in-charge of UNFPA Bangladesh, said at the event launching the “State of World Population 2013” report at a city hotel.
The theme of this year’s UNFPA report is “Motherhood in Childhood: Facing the Challenges of Adolescent Pregnancy.” The UN agency defines adolescence to be between 10 to 19 years.
Although the publication examines adolescent pregnancies worldwide, yesterday’s panel discussion focussed on pregnancies as a result of child marriages in Bangladesh.
The report reveals that about 70,000 girls aged 10 to 19 die every year around the world from complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
The report also says that 194 out of every 100,000 women, most of whom are adolescents, die during childbirth each year in Bangladesh.
While many adolescent girls survive the process of childbirth, many become extremely weak afterwards, and suffer from various ailments. In addition, the pressure of taking care of children at a young age takes its toll on the mother’s health.
Ubaidur Rob, country director of Population Council, said the risks of pregnancy on adolescent girls include maternal death, sexually transmitted diseases, unsafe abortion and disruption of education.
“In order to address this, we must address the whole family, not just the girls,” said Suchitta.
In the meantime, there has been a slight improvement regarding the age of marriage in the past few years.
The median age of marriage for girls rose to 15.8 years in 2011, from 14.2 years in 1997, according to the Population Council.
“This is a part of our social norm and a big change will not come in a few years, it will take decades,” said Rob.
The marriage age for girls varies from region to region. Sylhet has the highest average age at 17.5 years, while in Dhaka, it is 15.8 years, which is also the national average.
Rob pointed out “social insecurity”, such as fear of keeping unmarried daughters at home, was one of the reasons behind the high rate of child marriage in this country.
“Gender inequality also plays a big role in this practice,” said Dr Nargis Fatema, a gynecologist at Square Hospital.
Dr Fatema said when girls are married at an early age, they do not have any decision making power. Thus, they are vulnerable to abuse or manipulation by their husbands and in-laws.
Suchitta said ensuring education for girls up to higher secondary level would be the best way to curb early marriage.
Meanwhile, regarding the lack of data on unmarried adolescent mothers, Rob said their research focussed primarily on married adolescents.
“Due to the stigma that exists regarding premarital pregnancy, no one comes forward to talk about it,” Rob said. “However, roughly 6% of the adolescent pregnancies are of unmarried girls, but there could be more.”