Humaira Sultana :
Just before the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh secured a notable development in restraining solemnization of child marriage. In the coronavirus era, the country is observing steady and sharp rise in child marriage, scoring 4th in the world! The reason of Child Marriage is manifold now due to corona virus pandemic and experts fear that we might not meet the goal of elimination of child marriage any sooner. Containment plan and measuresto restrain Child Marriage should be taken as seriously as that of Corona Virus pandemic.
The growing tensions and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus with the significant number of job cut, growing un-empowerment, poverty and food crisis are identified as the major reasons of the surge of child marriage. On the top, the prolong closure of educational institutions started from March 17, 2020, till now is also popping out as a significant reason. Year 2020 saw the greatest surge in child marriage rates in 25 years. At one side, child marriage is forcing girls to discontinue their education, on the other side, prolonged closure of physical classrooms are also being identified to be the reason for which girls are getting married due to growing boredom! It is high time we have to shout out loud and take effective actions both from personal, public and legal framework to put this growing trend to an end!
Bangladesh has had a long walk to end child marriage with it’s legal framework. There was Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 before Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017! Still we have a rate of 51.40% child marriage trend. According to the multiple cluster Survey 2019, 51% of marriages are child marriage in 2019 in Bangladesh. In 2020 between April and October, 13,886 girls in 21 districts were victims of child marriage. Not only in Bangladesh, but the scenario is also alike throughout the world. On the other hand, it is estimated an additional four million girls will be married over the next two years due to the effects of the pandemic. UNICEF estimates the effects will last still longer, with an additional 10 million child marriages over the next 10 years due to the increased financial strain caused by COVID-19.
‘Marriage’ is considered as the most sacred social commitment that unites a man and women. However, a below girl who got just married might not feel the same. Growing responsibilities of new family due to the union on her mind and body makes hampers her dignity and wellbeing from every aspect. Like the fairytale, marriage might not come to her as a happily ever after story, it would probably be ‘sad thereafter’! Recent studies on the increasing trend of child marriage and aftermath reveals, 95% girls who recently got married are suffering different psychosocial problems and they want to be free from the union.
Child marriage is merely not a result of poverty but also social insecurity, crisis and fragile context, inadequate enforcement of laws, and harmful social norms and practices. When a girl child gets married off, and the spell of another vicious circle gets casted! Gender inequality is at the root! Our cultural and social norms that value boys’ education over girls’, finances are reserved for boys’ education, whereas girls are pressured to quickly become wives and mothers; making the term ‘child giving birth to another child’ popular. Early marriage often keeps a girl from completing her education, and the reverse is also true: girls who lack education are three times more likely to marry before 18 than those who attend secondary school or higher.
Child marriage is never a new context. But even though thousands of efforts were made by local, national, and international bodies, it latches on our society like a disease. We tend to see only the tip of the iceberg. Child Marriage cannot be acceptable for any reason. Education should be more prioritized, promoted and ensured through mass campaigns, public private partnership, and necessary intensive budget allocation in current post COVID context. It is estimated 13 children out of 100 will never come back in ‘classroom’; we need to stretch strategy so that they don’t find themselves in ‘labor-room’ in childhood. We need to find out strategies, so that these buds bloom.
Child marriage is a serious violation of a girl’s rights and deserves a robust global response to ensure:
1. Total ban of under 18 child marriage. 2. Ensure access and remove barriers to quality, safe, child-friendly education for girls, especially in fragile and conflicts situations. 3. All girls need to be empowered through knowledge and access to sexual and reproductive health services, so they can make informed choices. 4. Partner with faith leaders and community leaders, who can take charge in driving attitude changes and ending harmful practices. 5. Increase investments in helplines and other services preventing and responding to child marriage throughout the COVID 19 pandemic and beyond.
Unless we accelerate our efforts to end child marriage, over 100 million more girls will be married in the next 10 years! Due to the secondary impacts of COVID-19, this number will likely be much higher. Let us do all that we can to save children from SuffeRING. Let us ring the bell of awareness everywhere!
(Humaira Sultana is Manager -Field Communications, World Vision Bangladesh. Email: [email protected])
