The Legal and Social Dimensions Of Child Marriage In Bangladesh: A Case Study of a Village in Joypurhat District

Abstract

The social norm of underage marriage is highly embedded, particularly for females. There are several reasons why children get married. Insufficient social security, poverty, superstition, and illiteracy are the most significant, though. With 64% of girls marrying before turning 18, Bangladesh has a high rate of early marriage, according to the UNICEF report "The State of the World's Children, 2009." As a result of child marriage, one-third of Bangladeshi girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are either pregnant or mothers at this time. Even though child marriage is illegal in Bangladesh, it is nonetheless widespread in rural areas. It violates children’s rights to be free from discrimination in all its manifestations and to be free from cruel and degrading treatment and also it is a powerful societal norm in our country. There is no effective strategy to protect children from the abuse of child marriage. If social awareness and supportive legislation are not in place, efforts to preclude marriage of adolescents in Bangladesh will become a significant barrier to the realization of children's rights (1989). This work examines the legal and social aspects of child marriage in our country in detail and attempts to educate parents in rural regions about the legal protective measures for child marriage as well as the physical and socioeconomical consequences of adolescents marriage