Police save schoolgirl from child marriage in Gazipur

Police with the help of the local administration have managed to stop the child marriage of a seventh-grade schoolgirl in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur. Aminul Islam, a member of ward 3 of Maona Union Parishad under the upazila, first initiated the process to halt the wedding of the 13-year-old girl. UP member Aminul said the girl's parents had arranged the marriage ceremony for Thursday. “After being informed by locals, we reported the matter to the police. As her parents failed to show any documents to support that she was over 18, the police stopped the wedding programme,” he said. Meanwhile, Sreepur police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Aminul Islam said: “We told the girl's guardians about the disadvantage of an underage girl being married off, and they were finally convinced.” "They also gave an undertaking stating that they would not take any measures for her wedding until she reaches the legal age for marriage," the SI added The government on February 27 passed the "Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2017," disallowing marriage for boys under 21 years of age and girls under 18. Any marriage involving one or both parties below the legal age will be considered child marriage. Bangladesh has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world – the highest in Asia. Over half (52%) of Bangladeshi girls get married under the age of 18 and almost one-fifth (18%) are married off even before reaching 15.