A new global report, "Girl Goals: What has changed for girls? Adolescent girls’ rights over 30 years," released on Saturday by Unicef, UN Women, and Plan International to mark the International Women’s Day, has revealed that Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage.
The report recognizes the benefits of investing in girls, particularly adolescent girls, highlighting that these benefits extend beyond the individual to the stability and economic development of their communities and countries.
While the report notes improvements in areas such as life expectancy, it calls for urgent attention to adolescent girls in Bangladesh, who continue to face persistent inequalities, violence, child marriage, lack of education, and limited opportunities.
The report measures progress by countries 30 years after the commitments made in the 1995 Beijing Declaration. The report concludes that progress for girls has been made across many domains.
Investments in education have paid dividends, while access to health care for girls has improved. Girls today are less likely to marry in childhood, with countries like Bangladesh still lagging behind with over 50% of girls falling under this harmful practice, the highest in Asia.
Despite strong evidence that investing in adolescent girls creates a multiplier effect for girls, communities, and countries, they continue to lag behind their male peers in many areas. For example, adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 are still twice as likely to be out of education, employment, or training, and 9 out of 10 in low-income countries remain offline.
Of particular concern, the report notes that no country has yet met even half of the 16 SDG targets crucial to adolescent girls' well-being, and calls for significant refocus with only five years left to achieve the 2030 SDG Agenda.
"Adolescent girls in Bangladesh want to contribute to a flourishing Bangladesh where they can embrace opportunities and support their country to thrive. Yet, barriers and discrimination continue to hold them, and their country back,” said Rana Flowers, Unicef representative in Bangladesh.
Access to life skills and digital literacy are critical but so too is addressing the extremely high rates of child marriage and violence against girls and women, which in turn leads to early and dangerous childbearing – which too often claims the lives of the young girl and the baby," he added.
He also said: “This International Women’s Day, let's break barriers and create equal opportunities, inspiring hope for all. We must amplify girls' voices and ensure their participation in decision-making.”
He further added: “At this crucial time of change in Bangladesh—and in response to the call from young women and men for a better future—we urge the government to invest in adolescent health services, strengthen the social work workforce, and enhance education, nutrition, life skills, and digital literacy for all girls."
According to the report, Bangladesh has the 8th highest prevalence of child marriage in the world and the highest in Asia, with 51.4% of women aged 20-24 marrying before the age of 18. This issue perpetuates poverty for girls, jeopardizes their health, and limits their potential, as well as the economic growth of Bangladesh, with half of the population at risk.
The report shows that globally, child marriage and early childbearing are closely linked, with 24% of women aged 20-24 in Bangladesh giving birth before the age of 18.
Additionally, 28% of adolescent girls aged 15-19 in Bangladesh have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in the past 12 months, and only 47% of married adolescent girls in this age group can make informed decisions about reproductive health.
"As we commemorate 30 years of the Beijing Declaration, we celebrate progress on the rights of women and girls, while acknowledging that gains have been slow, fragile, and uneven. In Bangladesh, many young girls remain out of school, at risk of harmful practices and violence,” said Gitanjali Singh, UN Women representative in Bangladesh.
“An all-hands-on-deck approach is essential to unlock their potential. Investing in their empowerment and leadership is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do," she added.
"The completion rate for adolescent girls in secondary education in Bangladesh is 59.22%. The report emphasizes the need for significant efforts by the government and all stakeholders to meet the 2030 SDG targets for adolescent girls' education.
Additionally, the report highlights that Bangladesh is one of only seven countries where the proportion of adolescent girls and young women with digital skills is 2% or lower."
"I am pleased to observe that Bangladesh has made significant efforts to reduce adolescent birth rates, increase services for skilled birth attendants, and boost the economic participation of girls and young women,” said Kabita Bose, country director at Plan International Bangladesh.
“Improvements are also visible in the enrollment and completion rates of girls in primary, secondary, and higher secondary education," she added.
"However, the quality of education remains a challenge. Girls and young women are alarmingly lagging behind in digital skills. Much remains to be done to reduce child, early, and forced marriages, improve access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents, and ensure safe mobility for girls in public spaces,” she also said.
She further added: “Plan International is working to empower girls and youth with the goal of—All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change, until we achieve equality for all."
Despite many challenges, the report reveals that the global life expectancy of 15-year-old adolescent girls has increased to 79.1 years, an improvement of 4.5 years, reflecting progress in health and well-being.
New initiatives, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine campaign, have played a crucial role in safeguarding the health and future of millions of girls in Bangladesh by protecting them against cervical cancer, a disease that claims the lives of thousands of women annually in the country.
In 2023-24, Unicef supported a successful HPV vaccination campaign, reaching 93% of eligible girls across the country.
Overall, the report calls for urgent action to address the stalled progress in key areas, including:
- Amplifying adolescent girls’ voices and supporting their advocacy.
- Closing the education, skills, and training gap, with a particular focus on digital literacy.
- Investing in data-driven interventions to address the most pressing needs of adolescent girls, with an emphasis on economic empowerment.
