DURING seven months of coronavirus pandemic last year, a total of 13,886 child marriages took place in 84 upazilas of 21 districts in the country. Of those, only 4,866 marriages have been registered. Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), a non-government organisation, virtually revealed this survey report recently at a webinar held in collaboration with the UNICEF, UNFPA and Plan International.
It is quite alarming to see the rise of child marriages in our country during the pandemic. As per the report, closure of schools, economic pressures, service disruption, pregnancies and parental deaths have put the most vulnerable girls at risk of child marriage. A total of 21,258 respondents, including girls who were married before 18 years of age, unmarried girls of the age group 10 to 19, parents of the married girls, government representatives, UNOs, local officials of the women’s affairs directorate, marriage registrars, local leaders and teachers, participated in the survey.
In fact, doubling of the rate of poverty during coronavirus pandemic and failure to meet the basic needs of the family were the major reasons behind the child marriage. The low-income people have been facing all sorts of problems during the corona pandemic, which is now in its second phase in Bangladesh. They lost their income and their small businesses have been ruined. These challenges have exacerbated by various social and cultural factors, pushing up the rate of child marriage.
We think increase of girl children’s social safety, financial support for low income people, making birth certificate compulsory to prove age, and mobilising awareness against child marriage through family consultations and the media can effectively help prevent child marriage. We want further strengthening of the role of the union parishads, activating 24hr helplines and increasing the involvement of religious leaders to prevent child marriage. Alertness and active role of the local administration is crucial for this.
