Effects of Child Marriage
Once the child marriage was compulsory in Bangladesh but the practice of child marriage has decreased over the last 30 years, and it remains common in rural areas and urban slums, especially among the poor. Parents of girls support early marriage due to financially beneficial for her family and she remains no longer a financial burden, and the marriage of a younger daughter often requires a smaller dowry than the marriage of an older daughter in Bangladesh. A girl as young as 12 years of age is eligible for marriage and a man very eager to marry such a girl without dowry and the parents of the girl take this opportunity. Sometimes traffickers marriage a young girl without dowry and later sell her in the brothel or traffic her in other countries. Child brides are often exposed to serious health risks such as premature pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (UNICEF 2009).
Early marriage of both girls and boys is a violation of child rights. Most of the parents are not aware about the negative impact of early marriage and parents do not hesitate to arrange early marriage.