Child marriage increases during COVID-19 pandemic

Bangladesh witnessed 13 percent rise in child marriage during the COVID-19 pandemic last year as the deadly virus massively affected societies and economies pushing many of them into extreme poverty.

Child marriage has always been a huge obstacle to development for countries like Bangladesh while the virus appeared to have a negative effect by spreading its clutches with extra wraths on the social menace.

Gender Justice and diversity department of BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, found that child marriage increased by 13 percent in 11 districts when it conducted a survey to access the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and adolescence in 11 districts across the country last year.

This is the highest rate of child marriage in Bangladesh in the last 25 years when the country is approaching to become a role model in various social advancement indexes including reducing child marriage to a great extent.

The survey found that loss of income of parents and school closures amid pandemic are the main reasons behind the rate of increase of child marriages.

According to different non-governmental organizations, child marriage has increased at an alarming rate in the months May, June, July, August and September. However, the government through its local administration bodies, law enforcing agencies and with help of NGOs has been working hard to prevent child marriages across the country.

This article has been posted by a News Hour Correspondent. For queries, please contact through [email protected]
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