A young football player was forced into child marriage by her father and the village head of Bashjani village in Pathordubi union in Bhurungamari of Kurigram.
Shorolika Parvin, 15, captain of Bashjani Primary School football team, was forced to marry a motor mechanic against her will by her father Shahidul Islam in March this year.
The rapid spread of Covid-19 in the district caused an abrupt halt to her football practice, and her father's financial condition also deteriorated.
When contacted, Shorolika's father Shahidul Islam said: “I have lost my job due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and could not support my wife and three children.”
Shorolika says she strongly desires to return to the field, but all her dreams have now been torn apart.
“I am trying to accept reality, but I cannot,” says the teenager, who has now been burdened with the responsibilities of running a household.
Shorolika added that she had informed the upazila administration about the marriage so that she could get out of it, but to no avail.
Arfan Ali, acting chairman of Pathordubi union,stated that Sarolika's marriage had taken place without the knowledge of the local administration and public representatives.
He noted that child marriages were common in the border areas due to a lack of financial stability in families.
Bhurungamari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Dipok Kumar Sharma said he was unaware of the marriage of the teenaged football player Shorolika.
“If I had known before I would have taken steps to stop the wedding,” he added.
Atiqur Rahman Khokon, Shorolika’s football coach, says that if girls like Shorolika had been given financial assistance, they would not have got married so young in this area.
In 2017, Shorolika received the Best Player award from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib Government Primary School Gold Cup Football Tournament. Her dream was to become the best striker in the Bangladesh women's football team.
