Stop secret child marriages

It is disappointing that despite all our economic and infrastructural development over the years, Bangladesh still cannot fight off the menace of child marriage, which continues to plague our society. Earlier this week, we came to know from a study by the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum that between January and August 2022, as many as 2,301 girls fell victim to child marriage in 28 districts of the country. This means that, per month, an average of 288 girls under 18 years of age were married off in those districts alone.

Often, parents marry off young daughters if they receive a proposal that seems "too good to refuse." But in the process, they end up destroying or compromising their child's life prospects and future potential.

Now, a Prothom Alo report shed further light on the challenges of tackling child marriages, citing data from the Tala upazila of Satkhira, Khulna. According to the Women Affairs Office in Tala, of the 88 child marriages that had been halted between July 2021 and June 2022, 74 percent took place in secret later on. More concerningly, six of those marriages have already ended in divorce, with one child bride becoming a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her in-laws who were demanding dowry. The survey done by the Women Affairs Office also noted how students of classes 7-10 were most vulnerable to underage marriage.

All this shows the crucial importance of awareness of the consequences of child marriage – both among guardians and young girls – in eliminating this scourge from our society. We need proper enforcement of relevant laws to do that. It is also vital that local government representatives and officials play a more active role in spreading awareness regarding the issue at the grassroots level. Regular campaigns should be conducted so that guardians are well aware of the legal consequences they could face if they marry off their girl children. In schools, female students must be told how early marriage could affect their future, and should be aware of the resources and platforms/agencies they can turn to if they fear becoming victims of child marriage.

Often, parents marry off young daughters if they receive a proposal that seems "too good to refuse." But in the process, they end up destroying or compromising their child's life prospects and future potential. It is high time the government stamped down on the culture of child marriage in Bangladesh which has, unfortunately, become more prevalent due to the uncertainties faced by many families in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as providing financial security and raising awareness to tackle this scourge, the relevant offices of the government must at all times be on guard, so that halted marriages are not conducted in secret. But most importantly, a task this challenging cannot be done by the government alone. The whole society has to work together to stop this scourge for good.