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"Marry Before Your House is Swept Away": Child Marriage in Bangladesh

Sifola, age 13, stands in the home she shares with her husband and in-laws. Her parents took her out of school and arranged her marriage because they were struggling with poverty and wanted to conserve their resources in order to pay for her brothers’ schooling. Her family bribed local officials to forge a birth certificate that showed her age as over 18 in order to marry her off. March 31, 2015.

© 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch

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Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Belkis, 15 years old, holds her one-year-old son in the house where she lives with her mother, two sisters, and one brother. Belkis was married when she was 13 years old to a man who threatened to commit suicide if the family didn’t agree to the marriage. After 14 months, her husband sent her home; he no longer financially supports her or the baby. Belkis fears her family’s home will be washed away by river erosion by the end of the year. March 30, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
A male relative of Shiuli, whose family said she was 18 years old, carries her out of her parents’ house after her wedding ceremony. This is a common practice following a marriage, when a bride leaves her parents’ home for the first time. April 2, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Sifola, age 13, stands in the home she shares with her husband and in-laws. Her parents took her out of school and arranged her marriage because they were struggling with poverty and wanted to conserve their resources in order to pay for her brothers’ schooling. Her family bribed local officials to forge a birth certificate that showed her age as over 18 in order to marry her off. March 31, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Sharmin, age 16, holds her one-year-old daughter. She was married when she was 14 years old. Her husband sent her back to live with her parents. He no longer supports Sharmin or her daughter, but occasionally visits them. April 2, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Faizunnesah (left) and Moin Uddin (right) are the parents of 16-year-old Sharmin, who was married at the age of 14, and has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Sharmin’s parents said they lost their home five times due to river erosion, and received no compensation or assistance from the government. They have six children. Two of their daughters were married as children and then abandoned by their husbands and had to come back to live with their parents. April 2, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Parvin, married at age 11, stands next to her mother’s house, which they fear will be washed away by river erosion before the end of the year. Her husband lives with her and her family, but has been away for a few months looking for work. March 30, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
People living in a village affected by river erosion stand on the east bank of the Meghna River. River erosion destroys many families’ houses and land. Some girls said concerns about erosion had prompted their parents to marry them before the family was affected by erosion. April 3, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
A private girls’ high school subsidized by the Bangladesh government, with 300 students. 25-35 percent of the school’s female students drop out before graduation due to child marriage. In the first three months of 2015, three girls left this school to marry as children. April 1, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
A community meeting brings villagers together to discuss the issue of child marriage in March  2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
Bibi, age 17, married at about age 11. After marrying, she was forced to quit school. Bibi said she returned to live with her parents because her husband physically abused her. A local village council will decide whether Bibi will return to her husband’s home. March 29, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
A young couple meets for the first time on their wedding day. Their birth certificates indicated that the groom was several months past his 21st birthday, and the bride was several months past her 18th birthday. Bangladeshi law sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 for women and 21 for men. April 2, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch
Bangladesh: Child Marriage
A girl walks on the shore of the Meghna River. The land surrounding the Meghna River in Laxmipur district is vulnerable to erosion, which destroys homes and land and sometimes prompts parents to marry off young daughters in a rush before the erosion reaches and destroys their homes and livelihoods. April 1, 2015. © 2015 Omi for Human Rights Watch

Child marriage around the world is associated with many harmful consequences. Girls face health dangers associated with early pregnancy, lower educational achievement, a higher incidence of spousal violence, and an increased likelihood of poverty.

Bangladesh illustrates many of the problems countries with high child marriage rates face. It has the fourth-highest rate of child marriage in the world after Niger, the Central African Republic, and Chad. In the period 2005 to 2013, according to UNICEF, 29 percent of girls in Bangladesh married before the age of 15 and 65 percent married before the age of 18.

Globally, girls aged 10-14 are five times more likely to die during child birth than mothers aged 20-24; girls aged 15-19 are still twice as likely to die during delivery than women aged 20-24.

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