The Fault in Child Marriage: An overview of the effects of child marriage through the lens of SRHR
At an age when a young girl is supposed to explore her interests, stay engaged in education, play with her dolls, enjoy her childhood, develop her skills and thoughts, and so on, destiny plays an ironic role in her life as she is married off and sent away from home; such ironies are very common in rural Bangladesh.
Child marriage in Bangladesh is fueled by ingrained sociocultural norms, economic hardships and gender inequalities, despite legal frameworks and ongoing efforts by community organisations to combat it. “Girl Goals: What Has Changed for Girls? Adolescent Girls’ Rights Over 30 Years” – a report by UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International highlights the dismaying situation of child marriage and gender disparities in Bangladesh. According to the 2025 report, Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in Asia, with 51% of women experiencing child marriage and 28% of married adolescent girls being subjected to physical and sexual violence. Child marriage is often seen by families as a means to secure a girl’s future, shield her from potential abuse, or lessen their financial strains. However, these mostly well-intentioned but misguided beliefs impose detrimental costs on young girls who become victims of child marriages. Child marriage not only denies an adolescent her childhood and deprives her of her independence but also puts her health at severe risk. Additionally, a report by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research states that in Bangladesh and across the world, the consequences of child marriage extend far beyond the loss of childhood, adversely affecting an adolescent girl’s sexual and reproductive health, often with life-threatening repercussions.
Effects of child marriage concerning Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH):
Child Birth: Young brides, often uninformed and ill-informed about sex, reproduction, SRH, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), give birth when their bodies are not yet ready for pregnancy and delivery, facing severe complications. Bangladesh reports high mortality rates among adolescent mothers during childbirth; furthermore, the infant mortality rate is also high among young mothers. Early pregnancy can lead to severe complications, such as obstetric fistula, resulting in infections, incontinence, and more.
Family planning and use of contraceptives: In Bangladesh, young girls lack access to information about sex, reproductive methods, contraceptives, and family planning before marriage due to the existence of societal stigma and taboos. Consequently, the rate of contraceptive use is significantly low among married adolescent girls.
Access to healthcare services: Young brides face physical and mental distress, sometimes leading to depression. Teenage brides are more at risk because they often do not seek care from healthcare professionals for treatment and check-ups during pregnancy and postpartum.
HIV/AIDS and STIs: Married adolescent girls in Bangladesh are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). In many cases of child marriage, a significant age gap exists between the young bride and her husband, with research suggesting that most of these husbands have had previous sexual partners. Unprotected and frequent sexual intercourse puts child marriage victims at risk of contracting HIV and STIs.
Violence: It is a misleading paradox that girls are married off young to be protected from sexual violence and harassment when child marriage itself constitutes a form of gender-based violence. Child brides endure years of silence, experiencing not only intimate partner violence but also the trauma of verbal, physical, and emotional abuse from in-laws. Victims of child marriage often face forced, non-consensual sex throughout their marriages.
Without mass awareness campaigns and access to education about SRH, these effects of child marriage will continue to increase, putting the lives of thousands of child brides in jeopardy. It is only a fundamental human right for a girl to be aware of her body, SRH and SRHR – nothing too fancy of an ask to be denied!
Sources:
https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Girl_Goals_Report.pdf
