Afroja Yesmin :
Just think about a girl going to school with joy and laughs, and on the next day she find herself coiled in bright red saree, waiting for her groom to arrive! This is not uncommon scenario, which we are not able to understand.
We are debating on the legal age of marriage for girls whether it should be 16 or 18, the reality is women are the only victim who have to face the consequence that creates long hauling health effects on them.
According to National Survey on Child Marriage, 64 per cent girls are married off before eighteen years, which ought to be the legal age of marriage for girls. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS2011), average age of marriage for women of age group 20-49 is only 15.8 years (It’s less than we are planning to make it!).
Consequently, these poor women suffer from early pregnancy. About Half of Bangladeshi women (49 per cent) have given birth before reaching age 18; while 70 per cent have given birth by age 20 (BDHS2011).
With the high number of early marriage and early pregnancy, use of family planning methods is still low among the married adolescents aged 15-19 years. BDHS 2011 also indicates that, only near about half (47.1 per cent) of them is using any method to prevent unwanted and early pregnancy.
Early marriage and its consequent early pregnancy imply a greater risk on women and girls health including possible threats of domestic violence.
A girl who got married in her early age can have severe health problems like miscarriage, complication in delivery and can suffer from fistula, which can make her life a living hell at anywhere, not to mention chances of having more children in her reproductive life. As physical health, mental health of the women is also vulnerable as they face domestic violence as well as the curse of dowry as fate.
This is not something that we don’t know or understand, it is observed in many cases that despite having adequate knowledge and right perception, making change in practices are the main challenge to develop overall condition of women and girls.
Evading of these problems depends on empowering women and girls to make decision and educating them with proper knowledge.
It requires developing awareness among women and adolescent girls in the community level to access them to the resources to prevent early marriage as well as saving them from early pregnancy.
Nevertheless, as soon as we prepare a place that is safe for them to learn, earn, grow and hear their voices, the sooner we will be able to make change in their lives. Let’s forget the 16 or 18 debate; Let us focus on women’s health. n
(Afroja Yesmin is Sr Assistant Coordinator, MNCH, ARH and Family Planning Unit, Health Services Department at
Eminence)
Just think about a girl going to school with joy and laughs, and on the next day she find herself coiled in bright red saree, waiting for her groom to arrive! This is not uncommon scenario, which we are not able to understand.
We are debating on the legal age of marriage for girls whether it should be 16 or 18, the reality is women are the only victim who have to face the consequence that creates long hauling health effects on them.
According to National Survey on Child Marriage, 64 per cent girls are married off before eighteen years, which ought to be the legal age of marriage for girls. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS2011), average age of marriage for women of age group 20-49 is only 15.8 years (It’s less than we are planning to make it!).
Consequently, these poor women suffer from early pregnancy. About Half of Bangladeshi women (49 per cent) have given birth before reaching age 18; while 70 per cent have given birth by age 20 (BDHS2011).
With the high number of early marriage and early pregnancy, use of family planning methods is still low among the married adolescents aged 15-19 years. BDHS 2011 also indicates that, only near about half (47.1 per cent) of them is using any method to prevent unwanted and early pregnancy.
Early marriage and its consequent early pregnancy imply a greater risk on women and girls health including possible threats of domestic violence.
A girl who got married in her early age can have severe health problems like miscarriage, complication in delivery and can suffer from fistula, which can make her life a living hell at anywhere, not to mention chances of having more children in her reproductive life. As physical health, mental health of the women is also vulnerable as they face domestic violence as well as the curse of dowry as fate.
This is not something that we don’t know or understand, it is observed in many cases that despite having adequate knowledge and right perception, making change in practices are the main challenge to develop overall condition of women and girls.
Evading of these problems depends on empowering women and girls to make decision and educating them with proper knowledge.
It requires developing awareness among women and adolescent girls in the community level to access them to the resources to prevent early marriage as well as saving them from early pregnancy.
Nevertheless, as soon as we prepare a place that is safe for them to learn, earn, grow and hear their voices, the sooner we will be able to make change in their lives. Let’s forget the 16 or 18 debate; Let us focus on women’s health. n
(Afroja Yesmin is Sr Assistant Coordinator, MNCH, ARH and Family Planning Unit, Health Services Department at
Eminence)
