Among the many social issues that Bangladesh continues to grapple with, child marriage is indubitably the most heinous and deep-rooted -- it is an inherently violent aspect of our culture that not only stifles the development of young girls but also hampers the long-term goal of ours being a truly egalitarian society.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Foundation for Charitable Activities in Bangladesh and Supti Mohila Unnoyon Sangstha in Bagerhat, it was found that 26% of women were subjected to child marriage while 84.4% were sexually harassed in some other form. These statistics are nothing short of startling.
Bangladesh has been on an upward trajectory when it comes to economic indicators, but in terms of social indicators our progress has been incredibly slow. While there are indeed more women than ever joining the workplace and contributing to the mainstream economy, issues such as child marriage -- which disproportionately affects girls -- undo such achievements through their long-term impacts on women’s education and employability.
Girls’ education is often still treated as secondary to all else deemed more societally important -- this is precisely the kind of mindset that denies our women and girls equal opportunities. And it all begins with the scourge of child marriage.
Too often a result of economic desperation, punitive measures to deter child marriage -- which are often unenforced to begin with -- are not enough. What we require are comprehensive awareness campaigns which would help families understand the dangers of child marriage to their own children -- parents need to understand that girls should be educated, empowered, and nurtured.
As far as punitive measures are concerned, attention must be paid towards tackling those who cheat the country’s marriage laws using false papers and registration forms, and such illegal activity can and must be stopped at all costs.
No words can convey just how insidious child marriage is, and our inability to curb it is nothing short of a national shame.
