Children of child-marriage victims face complications in registration

In April this year, a 26-year-old father from Ward no. 8 of Nowhata municipality in Rajshahi applied for his child’s birth registration.

However, as his wife was under 18, the process was halted. The couple was told that since the mother had not reached 18 years, the child could not be registered.

The father later told Prothom Alo that eventually the registration went through once his wife turned 18. However, he has seen cases among his relatives where children of mothers under 18 were registered anyways.

Like this couple, many others have faced similar problems in case of their child’s birth registration over the past few months. When inquiries were made, it was revealed that since April this year children of mothers under 18 and fathers under 21 could not be registered.

The authorities of the birth and death registration office said that in line with the Child Marriage Restraint Act, the ‘BDRIS’ software used for birth and death registration was programmed to determine parental age. As a result, if the mother was under 18 or the father under 21, the child’s birth registration could not proceed.

Meanwhile, when registration was required for typhoid vaccination, complications arose over this issue. Since child marriage rate is higher among girls, mostly it is the mother’s age creating complications. So, temporary changes have been introduced in the system, the authorities mentioned.  

The government will launch a free typhoid vaccination campaign from 12 October for children aged from nine months to 15 years.

According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017, the marriage of girls under 18 and boys under 21 is considered child marriage.

The Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022 report shows that the child marriage rate among girls under 18 is 50 per cent. Comparable statistics for boys are not available as such.

However, the Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023 report indicates that in the 15-19 age group, 73 girls and 14 boys per 1,000 are getting married in urban areas. Plus, UNFPA’s State of World Population 2025 report states that 71 out of every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in Bangladesh are mothers of one or more children.

When asked about the registration of children born to underage mothers, the Registrar General (Birth and Death Registration) Md Zahid Hossain told Prothom Alo on Sunday that about 50 million (5 crore) children will receive the typhoid vaccine.

According to the system, if the mother is under 18, a birth registration application cannot be filed. And without birth registration, the child cannot be registered for the typhoid vaccine. For this reason, the system has been temporarily relaxed until October, setting the minimum age of the mother at 16. As a result, children of mothers aged 16 or above can now be registered, he added.

Data from the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration show that a total of 7,781,390 births were registered nationwide along with 689,015 deaths in nine months from January to September this year.

With the target of 100 per cent birth and death registration by 2030, Birth and Death Registration Day is being observed today, 6 October. There is no specific theme for the day this year. On this occasion, the Local Government Division will hold a discussion meeting on 18 October on progress, necessary steps and challenges of registration.

On 18 August, deputy commissioner of Khagrachhari ABM Iftekharul Islam Khandker sent a letter to the registrar general. He pointed out that under the Birth and Death Registration Act 2004 and the Birth and Death Registration Rules 2018, birth registration is a legal obligation and a citizen’s right.

However in recent months, applications could not be submitted in the BDRIS system if the mother was under 18 or the father under 21. Meanwhile, the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 makes marriages of girls under 18 and boys under 21 punishable offences. So, a huge number of children were being left without birth registration, leading to a worrying drop in the district’s overall registration figures.

In response to this letter, the Cabinet Division on 24 August sent a letter signed by Senior Assistant Secretary SM Munim Linkon requesting steps to remove the age-related barrier for birth registration. On 10 September, the Local Government Division also directed that necessary measures be taken. Following that, the Registrar General’s Office temporarily modified the system.

When asked whether the age restriction will remain after October, Registrar General Zahid Hossain told Prothom Alo that the exemption was made only until October. A decision on whether to remove the age barrier permanently will be made after discussions.

The Registrar General noted that child marriage is illegal under national law, and such marriages cannot be registered. To avoid complications in future, all marriages should be recorded online, and those officiated by qazis (Muslim marriage officiant) should be transferred into an electronic format.

Speaking on the matter, Md Nazrul Islam, country coordinator of the global public health organisation Vital Strategies, said that according to the birth and death registration act and rules, every birth must be registered and no child can be left out. Refusing birth registration of a child citing child marriage of parents would be a violation of the law. Other approaches must be used to prevent child marriage.