Despite the constitutional guarantee of equality for boys and girls, life in the coastal belt tells a starkly different story. In Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirojpur, Satkhira, and other coastal districts, the birth of a girl is often met not with joy. Poverty, superstition, and patriarchal norms combine to create an environment where girls grow up surrounded by neglect—and often pushed into marriage before they reach adolescence.
Denied education, adequate nutrition, or personal safety, many girls enter marriage between ages 10 and 15, stepping into an adulthood they are neither physically nor emotionally prepared for. Once married, most are forced into early motherhood, exposing both mother and newborn to life-threatening health risks such as malnutrition, anemia, obstructed labour, and high infant mortality.
Girl children are seen as burdens in society
In the remote chars of Barguna and neighbouring districts, the birth of a daughter is frequently seen as a burden. For many girls, education becomes the first sacrifice made in the name of financial survival.Girls endure unequal treatment in nearly every aspect of life—food, clothing, healthcare, and social status. When household resources shrink, daughters are the first to go without. As a result, dropout rates in coastal villages are significantly higher for girls compared to boys.
Interviews with girls like Shefali, Mukta, Rebin, Hasi, and Lamiya from Barguna Sadar reveal a shared reality of deprivation. Some reached the end of primary school; many never entered a classroom.Fourteen-year-old Beli Akter works as a domestic help while her younger brother attends school.My brother gets all the good food and goes to school every day,” Beli says. “But I have to work in other people’s homes with my mother.”
According to lawyer Saimul Islam Rabbi, an executive member of Nagarik Odhikar, the constitution clearly outlines equal rights for men and women. Article 28 guarantees equal opportunities, Article 29 ensures equal access to employment, and Article 17 mandates free and compulsory education for all children. “Yet these laws remain largely unimplemented,” he says.
Early marriage blights the lives of girl children
In many families, once a girl reaches puberty, marriage becomes an urgent priority. But early marriage often leads to early motherhood—and devastating health consequences.The story of Hosne Ara Begum from Barguna Sadar reflects this harsh reality. Married at just 11 to a 30-year-old man, she was pulled out of school and thrust into adult responsibilities. Now still in her teens, she is the mother of a three-year-old child with disabilities and endures constant physical and psychological abuse from her in-laws.“When everyone went to school, I entered married life,” Hosne Ara says. “My parents forced me to marry. Now they call me unlucky. I have no peace, nowhere to go.”
Another resident, Shirin Akter, was married at 12. After her husband remarried and divorced her, she was left to raise five children alone, working as a domestic help. She can rarely afford medical care. “I fear getting sick,” she says. “But I have to survive for my children.”
Gynecologist Dr. Tajkia Siddiqah of Barguna General Hospital warns that giving birth before 18 doubles the risk of complications. Young mothers face miscarriages, obstructed labour, long-term reproductive problems, and mental trauma—while their children often suffer developmental delays.
What global agencies report
Bangladesh ranks 8th globally—and 1st in Asia—for child marriage. A joint report by UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International reveals:51.4% of women aged 20–24 were married before 18, 24% gave birth before turning 18, 28% of married girls aged 15–19 faced physical or sexual violence in the past year, only 47% can make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
UN Women’s Representative Geetanjali Singh says: “Many girls still do not attend school and face violence and child marriage. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach—families, communities, schools, administrators, and development organizations must work together.”
The legal framework
Bangladesh first enacted the Child Marriage Restraint Act in 1929, later amended in 1984, fixing the minimum marriage age at 18 for girls and 21 for boys. The Child Marriage Prevention Act, 2017 strengthened enforcement, making the groom, guardians, and marriage registrars liable. Violators face 6 months to 2 years in prison, fines up to Tk50,000, or both, with fines designated as compensation for the victim.
However, legal experts argue that enforcement alone is not enough.“Awareness and social resistance are essential,” says Md. Hasanur Rahman Jhontu, convener of Barguna Public Policy Forum.
Sharmin S. Murshid, adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, envisions a Bangladesh recognized globally as safe for women and children. She credits progress to increased school enrollment, social safety nets, and active local prevention committees, but warns that sustained improvement requires shared responsibility.
