STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh has the highest child marriage rate in Asia and ranks 8th globally, with 51.4 percent of women aged 20-24 married before they turned 18, according to a Unicef report released on International Women’s Day.

The report, titled “Girl Goals: What Has Changed for Girls? Adolescent Girls’ Rights Over 30 Years,” was jointly published by Unicef, UN Women, and Plan International. It highlights the challenges faced by adolescent girls in Bangladesh, including child marriage, early childbirth, and gender-based violence.

The findings show a strong link between early marriage and early childbirth, with 24 percent of young women giving birth before 18, putting their health and lives at risk.

Additionally, 28 percent of adolescent girls aged 15–19 have suffered physical or sexual violence from partners in the past year.

Moreover, only 47 percent of married teenage girls have autonomy over reproductive health decisions, while Bangladesh is among seven countries with less than 2 percent of adolescent girls having digital literacy, limiting their education and job prospects.

Despite progress in healthcare, life expectancy, and education, gender inequalities continue to restrict opportunities for adolescent girls.

Girls aged 15–24 are twice as likely as boys to be out of education, employment, or training, making them more vulnerable to poverty and exploitation, the report further said.

“Adolescent girls in Bangladesh want to contribute to a thriving nation, but barriers and discrimination continue to hold them and the country back. Access to life skills and digital literacy is crucial, but so is addressing the extremely high rates of child marriage and violence, which in turn leads to early and unsafe childbearing -- often leading to the loss of both the young mother and her baby,” said Rana Flowers, Unicef representative in Bangladesh.

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