Mandatory Female Education can help in reducing Child Marriage

The paper “Decline in Child Marriage and Changes in Its Effect on Reproductive Outcomes in Bangladesh” by S. M. Mostafa Kamal was published in Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (Vol 30, No 3) on 2012. The paper used Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007 in order to explore the circumstances.

This paper explores the overall child marriage scenario and reproductive outcomes of women in Bangladesh. Poverty and low education are two vital factors for child marriage. From the paper we can see that although child marriage is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh, the incidence of child marriage is decreasing with time. One of the core causes of this decline is women’s education. Women’s education is negatively correlated with early marriage. Social, familial, health and financial outcomes are strongly correlated with child marriage and low education. From this paper we can observe that child marriage results in early age first birth, higher fertility, higher risk of child mortality, higher risk of giving three or more childbirth, unplanned pregnancies, higher risk of pregnancy termination and higher risk of the use of any current contraceptive method. These consequences are harmful for everyone; the girls, their children, and their communities. The paper reflects that reducing poverty and making education mandatory for all girls can decrease the incidence of child marriage. Formal and informal education, regarding these issues, for both parents and children can change the socioeconomic scenario of Bangladesh.

Original Article:

Kamal, S. M. (2012). Decline in Child Marriage and Changes in Its Effect on Reproductive Outcomes in Bangladesh. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.

Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3489948/