Child marriage has increased by an alarming scale in the country.
As per reports, 51.4% of girls are getting married before turning 18 in Bangladesh. During the pandemic alone, there have been tens of thousands of instances of this heinous practice taking place. Yet, it is disappointing that we continue to be silent on this issue. The fact that this is something that has been going on for years, and yet is something that fails to get the amount of attention it deserves, is a crying shame.
What is perhaps most worrying is that, in a recent seminar, experts have come to the conclusion that in most cases, instances of child marriage are instigated by the parents, and this happens because parents are not aware of the physical and emotional horrors of child marriage. Almost all parents do this because they think that their daughters are at risk without marriage.
The rural population of Bangladesh is often the subject of misinformation and, together with the financial difficulties they face, it is a precarious situation they find themselves in where they fail to do what is best for the well-being of their child.
It is imperative that steps are taken to address this pervasive issue, from local leaders being alert to any kind of misgivings to setting up special awareness campaigns and services. Ultimately, we have to find ways to deliver these lessons to the parents in order to stop this epidemic.
Bangladesh has been making strides economically, but what good is that progress if such a large portion of our future population continues to be at risk?
