Climate change silently triggers child marriage in Bangladesh

Hidden Connections, a series of the documentary has shown the internal relation between climate change and child marriage in Bangladesh. The child marriage rate in Bangladesh is 52%, one of the highest in the world.

Many ‘climate change refugees’ come to Dhaka in search of job after their land and property are destroyed in natural disaster. The girls cannot continue their education since it seems to be costly to the parents. The parents get them married off to avoid the upbringing cost. The dowry payment increases for the bride as they get older since the chance to be ‘impure’ or sexually active becomes more. The groom’s family counts dowry as source of income as they lose everything during flood. The fathers marry off their daughters to save the ‘honor’ of their girl. Since the girls are accompanied by men after marriage, they can avoid the sexual violence or harassment which is common in Dhaka. It is also shown in Hidden Connection’s feature that according to research, 90% women face sexual harassment in public transport in Dhaka.

Hidden Connection has shown how climate change can trigger the patriarchal norm and poverty which works as catalyst to child marriage in Bangladesh.

Source: www.girlsnotbrides.org