Child Marriage in Bangladesh
Juvenile marriage in Bangladesh
Juvenile marriage has long been an issue in many developing countries where poverty, lack of education and strong cultural traditions and religious beliefs exist. It is most prevalent in – however not restricted to South Asia, especially Bangladesh where studies have shown that the practice of juvenile marriage is most common and severe. Although the legal age of marriage for women in Bangladesh is 18, some girls are married off as young as seven years old mainly as a result of poverty which consumes 55% of the population and also because Bangladesh is a patriarchal society where there overall attitude towards women is “galay atkano kata” which is translated to “the spine of a fish stuck in the throat”. In the rural areas of Bangladesh, certain cultural traditions must be preserved as they have been present for centuries and also contribute to juvenile marriage as dowry, which mainly exists in patrilineal societies, determines how much the bride’s parents must pay to the in-laws which varies upon the age of the girl. On the surface, it would seems as though Bangladeshis accept this atrocity and feel quite passive towards it as they are aware that juvenile marriage is being practiced but do not take action against it. Is it because human rights are not universal? Could it be possible that something such as juvenile marriage is overlooked because the vast majority of the population of Bangladesh is not educated and ignorant to such and through intervention, they could benefit from the first world’s input in regards to their sociocultural “issues”?
It is evident that juvenile marriage is very common and equally problematic in South Asia and seems to be an issue which is most present in developing countries for varies reasons which are customized to that particular culture and region. The marriage of a child is illegal in all of the countries in which it takes place and even in spite of actions such as reinforcement of laws
Juvenile marriage has long been an issue in many developing countries where poverty, lack of education and strong cultural traditions and religious beliefs exist. It is most prevalent in – however not restricted to South Asia, especially Bangladesh where studies have shown that the practice of juvenile marriage is most common and severe. Although the legal age of marriage for women in Bangladesh is 18, some girls are married off as young as seven years old mainly as a result of poverty which consumes 55% of the population and also because Bangladesh is a patriarchal society where there overall attitude towards women is “galay atkano kata” which is translated to “the spine of a fish stuck in the throat”. In the rural areas of Bangladesh, certain cultural traditions must be preserved as they have been present for centuries and also contribute to juvenile marriage as dowry, which mainly exists in patrilineal societies, determines how much the bride’s parents must pay to the in-laws which varies upon the age of the girl. On the surface, it would seems as though Bangladeshis accept this atrocity and feel quite passive towards it as they are aware that juvenile marriage is being practiced but do not take action against it. Is it because human rights are not universal? Could it be possible that something such as juvenile marriage is overlooked because the vast majority of the population of Bangladesh is not educated and ignorant to such and through intervention, they could benefit from the first world’s input in regards to their sociocultural “issues”?
It is evident that juvenile marriage is very common and equally problematic in South Asia and seems to be an issue which is most present in developing countries for varies reasons which are customized to that particular culture and region. The marriage of a child is illegal in all of the countries in which it takes place and even in spite of actions such as reinforcement of laws
References: Arndt, K., Hastings, C., Hopkins, K., …Woods, R. (2005). Report on Primary Education in Bangladesh: Challenges and Success. Dhaka: Bangladesh Ministry of Women and Children Afairs. Retrieved May 19, 2013 from: http://www.aacu.org/ocww/volume39_2/global.cfm Chowdhury, F. (2004). The socio-cultural context of child marriage in a Bangladeshi village. International Journal of Social Welfare, 13(3), 244-253. Doi:10.1111/j.1369-6866.2004.00318.x Demaio, A. (2011). Local wisdom and health promotion: barrier or catalyst? Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2011 – aph.sagepub.com Kamal, M (2011). Socio-economic determinants of age at first marriage of the ethnic tribal women in Bangladesh. The Journal of Social Studies 2011: 3(119), 119-125 Planning Commission (2001). The Fifth-Five Year Plan 200-2005. Dhaka, Ministry of Planning – Prothom Alo (2002). Bangladeshi National Daily Newspaper Issued March 8, 2002. UNICEF(2001). The realities of girls’ lives in South Asia. An overview of trends and disparities. Katmandu, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. Retrieved May 19, 2013 from: http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Child_Poverty_and_Disparities_in_Bangladesh.pdf White, S. (1992). Arguing with the crocodile: gender and class in Bangladesh. Dhaka, University Press Limited