End of child marriage
Harmful practices of the society have to be changed
Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world
Child marriage is a practice that reflects long-standing social values and unequal positions around women.
In Bangladesh, women are often seen as a financial burden. Child marriage has declined, albeit slowly, in 30 years.
Poverty and illiteracy are crucial issues, but the evidence suggests that child marriage is practiced in all backgrounds and social divisions.
More than 50 percent of Bangladeshi women who are now in their mid-20s are married before they turn 18. About 16 percent have been married for under 15 years.
In South Asian culture, parents play a key role in the marriage of children.
Women are usually burdened to protect the dignity of the family. When a girl reaches puberty, her parents become anxious to protect her chastity.
This is the main obstacle in preventing child marriage. This is because, according to the results of a recent study, parents who decide to marry a girl child are afraid of sexual abuse at the beginning of the girl's adolescence.
But many married teenagers are victims of physical and sexual abuse or experience this. Among these teenage girls, 33 percent believe that it is reasonable for a husband to hurt his wife.
Girls' perceptions of engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage are seen as a threat to social values / norms. From the perception of compromise between ‘holiness’ and ‘honor’, they are identified as ‘kalankini’.
However, most people in Bangladesh do not believe that child marriage is a form of sexual abuse. Because of this, teenage girls who get married are at risk of getting pregnant early and with negative health risks.
The risk of child marriage and trafficking of girls is greatly increased in the face of natural disasters caused by climate change.
Such rules / values ultimately prove to be a compromise on the development, protection and participation of children, especially girls.

UNICEF / UNI146656 / Kiron Children show the risks involved in child marriage.
Most people in Bangladesh still do not believe that child marriage is a form of sexual abuse
The solution
The issue of child marriage as a social practice that violates children's rights is a top priority for UNICEF
Our activities are designed to establish social values for girls to delay the age of marriage as part of a larger plan to change social behavior.
UNICEF is liaising with a variety of communities, and engaging key policy-makers and partners at every stage.
With technical assistance from UNICEF and other development partners, the government is preparing a draft National Action Plan at the policy-making level. The purpose of this plan is to ensure the necessary environment for the growth and development of girls.
At the advocacy level, the issue of child marriage is gradually being integrated with mainstream education, health, nutrition, protection and poverty alleviation programs.
At the community level, UNICEF is in constant discussion with adolescents, parents and especially parents, who are important in making decisions about child marriage.
Our activities have reached out to children’s extended families and communities, their caregivers, local and religious leaders, and government representatives and front-line staff.
The process of engaging people includes participatory theater, community-based discussions, backyard meetings, radio and TV drama serials, and phone conversations, community-based announcements, and more.
Further efforts are being made to create awareness and increase skills, to educate girls through scholarships, and to bargain for girls, to prevent child marriage and to report on it.
UNICEF is working to strengthen the child protection system so that laws protecting girls from child marriage and dowry can be enforced.
UNICEF assists in establishing basic facilities. For example, in addition to the benefits of monthly hygiene, separate toilets should be provided in primary and secondary schools. Such activities have proven to improve the attendance of female students in schools and their enrollment in schools. In the long run the issue has delayed the age of marriage.
UNICEF's campaign against child marriage has been rewarded for creativity and excellence. We are now working to create some alternative to child marriage by providing some more incentives to the family.
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