BRAC survey in 27 dists: 44 pc child marriages due to finding 'suitable husband' 

In Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia, a 16-year-old girl got married shortly after passing her SSC exams last year. However, she did not study any further. During a phone conversation with the girl's parents last Tuesday, her mother responded defensively, stating, “She is 16 years old; how is she too young? I got married at a younger age than this.” The father added, “The groom owns a salon in the city. We found a suitable husband for her, and that's why we arranged the marriage.”  

While poverty and lack of social security are often cited as major factors contributing to child marriage, survey data suggests otherwise. More than these factors, parents frequently mention the pursuit of a 'suitable husband' as a reason for child marriage.

Child marriage is prevalent across both poor and affluent families. Approximately 50 percent of parents believe that girls should be married before the age of 18. Girls are often married off while pursuing their education. Surprisingly, families with one daughter are more likely to marry her off underage compared to families with multiple daughters.  

BRAC's Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SELAP) program conducted a survey titled 'Born to be a Bride' to understand the trends and causes of child marriage. The survey encompassed 50,000 families across 280 villages in 27 districts of the country during March and April this year.

As per the survey report, the marriage rate for girls below 18 years old stands at about 45 per cent, with approximately 7 per cent of them being under 15 years old. Alarmingly, 70 per cent of teenage girls are at risk of experiencing child marriage. 

Shashwatee Biplob, the head and in-charge of BRAC's SELP programme, informed Prothom Alo that the survey highlighted reasons beyond the common perceptions regarding the causes of child marriage. Child marriage is primarily driven by social pressure and the parents' inclination towards endorsing this practice.

She emphasised the necessity for the government to collaborate with non-governmental organisations, taking various awareness-raising steps to prevent child marriage. This effort should involve engaging various stakeholders, including local public representatives, marriage registrars (Qazis), and Imams. 

Interestingly, according to the World Population Situation 2023 report, Bangladesh ranks fifth globally in terms of the child marriage rate among 204 countries and regions, securing the unfortunate first position in Asia. 

As per the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022 report, the country currently grapples with a 50 per cent child marriage rate for girls under the age of 18. 

Among the 27 districts surveyed, Pirojpur has the highest rate of child marriage, accounting for approximately 73 per cent. Chapainabaganj follows with a rate of over 65 per cent, Naogaon at 65 per cent, Thakurgaon at about 63 per cent, and Joypurhat at more than 61 per cent. 

On the other hand, the five districts with the lowest incidence of child marriages are Netrakona at 24 per cent, Moulvibazar at 29 per cent, Bagerhat at over 29 per cent, Mymensingh at about 30 per cent, and Manikganj at over 32 per cent. 

According to the survey, families provided three main reasons for practicing child marriage. The majority, constituting 44 per cent, mentioned that they married off their daughters because they found a 'suitable' husband.

Additionally, guardians cited reasons such as poverty, the absence of dowry demands if married at a young age, lack of a sense of social security, and the girl's academic underperformance.  

Regarding the question of when girls should get married—before or after 18 years of age—50 per cent of the parents expressed their opinion in favour of child marriage, and 50 per cent were against it.

Interestingly, most of those supporting child marriage were found to be marrying off their underage daughters. However, there are 18 per cent of families arranging child marriages despite being against it. 

A 15-year-old student got married last year while she was studying in class 9 at Kaukhali Sadar Union no. 3 of Kaukhali Upazila in Pirojpur. During a phone conversation with the reporter, the girl's mother revealed that they were driven to marry her off due to poverty. She expressed no regrets about the decision to marry her daughter at a young age. Sadly, the girl is facing at her in-laws. The mother mentioned that neither the administration nor any public representatives intervened to prevent the marriage. 

Jharna Rani, a member of Ward no. 1 of that Union Parishad, informed Prothom Alo that many marriages take place secretly without formal registration. She pointed out that many girls keep busy on their mobile phones and eventually elope to get married. This fear often pressures parents to marry their daughters off early. 

The girls who are nearing the end of their high school education are in the most risky situation in terms of early marriage, according to the survey report. The rate of marriage of girls who are 16-17 years old is 63 per cent. In 56 per cent cases, the child marriage victims are girls who are continuing study, which is higher than the girls who dropped out of school. Of the remaining 44 per cent, some went to school for six months while some for 1-7 years, and some of them never went to school.

Dhaka University’s Law Department professor Shahnaz Huda, an expert on child marriage issues, told Prothom Alo that three things - getting a “suitable husband”, insecurity and poverty - are linked to each other in case of child marriage. The guardians want to shift responsibilities on others by marrying off the girls early. The young girl becomes a victim of oppression at the house of her in-law’s too.

She argued that the provision on ‘special case’ is providing a misleading information about child marriage among the people of villages. That is why the government is responsible to create a safe society for females to prevent child marriage. The girls will have to be educated and brought up in such a way so that they could earn, so that they too get priority like male children.

It can be mentioned here that Section 19 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017 stipulates special cases when child marriage will not be regarded as a crime. According to the law, a child marriage will not be a crime if it is done at the order of the court at any special context and at the consent of parents.