Under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5.3), the country has pledged to eliminate child marriage. The National Action Plan (2018-2030) to prevent violence against women and children goes even further, setting targets to end all marriages under 15 and reduce those under 18 by one-third, with the ultimate goal of complete elimination by 2041.
On paper, the ambition is inspiring. Yet the reality on the ground is sobering: Bangladesh still records the highest rate of child marriage in South Asia and ranks among the top countries globally.
According to Unicef, 51% of young women (20-24) were married before 18, and 17% before 15. That means over 43 million Bangladeshi girls and women alive today were married before adulthood, including 23 million before turning 15. These are not just statistics -- they are stories of interrupted schooling, unsafe motherhood, and lost economic potential.
Bangladesh’s global standing on child marriage has also slipped. Not long ago, the country was ranked 8th globally in terms of prevalence. Today, it has risen to 5th place, a grim reminder that while others are making progress, Bangladesh risks moving backwards.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our progress. Extended school closures, job losses, and income shocks created the perfect storm for early marriage. Families, fearing social insecurity or unable to afford education, married off daughters during lockdowns. Unicef and civil society assessments show a surge in child marriages during the pandemic, particularly in rural areas.
The impact is visible now: Classrooms are thinning, especially at the secondary level. We often ask, “Where are the missing girls?” The uncomfortable answer is that many have disappeared into early marriages. Evidence shows that completing secondary school reduces the likelihood of child marriage by two-thirds, yet this protective shield is eroding.
The challenge is not uniform across Bangladesh. A 2024 analysis revealed that Rajshahi Division has one of the highest rates of child marriage, while Sylhet reports the lowest. These stark regional disparities highlight that national commitments alone are not enough. To achieve meaningful progress, district- and division-specific action plans are essential, as a one-size-fits-all approach will fail to address the localized drivers of child marriage.
Apart from the government, numerous NGOs and research organizations, networks are working tirelessly to reduce the threat of child marriage. Countless studies, networks, and awareness campaigns have emerged, and indeed they have contributed to changes in community attitudes. In my own experience working in remote areas, however, I have seen how the official numbers often fail to reflect reality.
Some unions and villages have been declared “child marriage free” for the sake of achievement, but on the ground the practice quietly continues. In other cases, NGOs have withdrawn just when the groundwork was ready, often because a project ended or funds were cut.
Entire teams vanished overnight, coordination with local government collapsed, and families slipped back into old patterns. These setbacks are frustrating because they erase the hard-won gains of years of engagement.
And yet, the story is not all bleak. Many awareness campaigns have genuinely shifted ideologies, and there are inspiring examples of communities that resisted child marriage, strengthened by the spirit of local change makers. These mixed realities underline why sustainability and continuity are as important as ambition.
Bangladesh’s 8th Five Year Plan (2020–25) rightly emphasized women’s empowerment as a central pillar for inclusive growth. The government also joined the expanded UNFPA-Unicef Global Program to End Child Marriage. Yet implementation gaps remain. The mid-term review of the 8th Plan warned that unless women’s human capabilities and social inclusion are significantly strengthened, our aspirations will remain out of reach.
With the new government set to prepare the 9th Five Year Plan, this is the moment to reset the course. Child marriage must be treated not as a social side issue, but as a national development emergency.
The path forward is clear. Bangladesh must ensure that girls complete secondary school, as education remains the most reliable shield against early marriage. The Child Marriage Restraint Act needs far stronger enforcement, backed by digital registration systems that prevent underage unions. Districts with the highest prevalence should be prioritized with tailored interventions, while climate-vulnerable regions require integrated safety nets so that poverty or disaster does not force families to sacrifice their daughters’ futures.
Above all, lasting change will depend on transforming social norms --scaling up the work of NGOs, religious leaders, community activists, and media in challenging the culture of early marriage.
Ending child marriage is not only a moral duty but also an economic imperative. Early motherhood reduces women’s participation in the workforce, increases maternal and child health risks, and erodes the demographic dividend Bangladesh hopes to achieve. Women’s empowerment is central to attaining middle-income and eventually developed-country status. Failure to act will mean lost productivity, higher health costs, and an economy weighed down by unrealized potential.
To restore credibility to our commitments, the 9th Plan should identify a flagship indicator -- the percentage of girls completing Grade 10 on time -- and publish it regularly by district. And a real-time public dashboard, tracking marriages prevented, cases acted upon, and stipends disbursed, would allow citizens to hold the system accountable.
Bangladesh has already shown the world that rapid transformation is possible, whether in immunization coverage, the rise of the garment sector, or the digitalization of financial services. Ending child marriage can be the next national success story -- but only if ambition is matched by execution. Every early marriage is a broken promise to a child.
Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman is a Development Professional. Email: toufiq.friendship@gmail.com.