Raising the Age of Marriage for Young Girls in Bangladesh

"When a girl enters marriage without the psychological maturity necessary to manage her relationship with her husband and in-laws, or the physical maturity necessary to cope with pregnancy, it puts her at a disadvantage for life. She is less able to negotiate crucial aspects of her life, such as the use of contraception, with her husband. Pregnancy can have devastating affects for both the mother and child when the mother's body is not yet mature."

This 20-page document describes the activities and impact of a 3-year pilot programme implemented in 5 upazilas (subdistricts) of the economically poor area of Kishoreganj, Bangladesh in an effort to address the problem of early marriage and the issues surrounding it. As detailed here, Pathfinder International/Bangladesh launched "Raising the Age of Marriage for Young Girls in July 2003 with a focus on the use of primary and secondary school support, advocacy, and vocational training to help girls overcome the hurdles that prevent them from finishing school, finding employment, and delaying marriage until they are ready.

The connection between educating girls and protecting their health is explored within the Introduction. Parents in Bangladesh often apparently feel pressured by cultural values to marry their girls at a young age when they can no longer afford the cost of schooling them; according to Pathfinder, "women without formal education have little say in family decisions [such as the decision about when and whether to have children] both because they have no income of their own and because they lack the skills, confidence, and knowledge necessary to negotiate with their husbands and in-laws. But if girls are able to stay in school through the secondary level, they are often able to delay their marriage until they are adults."

This document details the core elements of the programme, and the key programme successes. Specifically:

• To help transition girls from primary to secondary school, Pathfinder supported 4,092 girls in the last 3 years of primary and the first year of secondary school, transitioning a total of 2,859 girls into secondary school. Overall enrollment has increased in the project area - government statistics show a 14.3% increase in primary school enrollment between 2004 and 2006 in the 5 upazilas. This represents an additional 14,023 students. "Though the project has been successful in transitioning girls from primary to secondary school, the reality for many of them is that their parents will not be able to pay for them to finish secondary school and may begin looking for husbands if the girls drop out."
• Pathfinder supported 3 classes of 20 secondary school graduates at the AITAM Welfare Organization in Dhaka, a paramedic training institute. Two classes have graduated and a third was expected to graduate in July 2006. The year-long paramedic training course prepares the girls to work in both clinic and community settings. They are trained in maternal and child health care, family planning, and other basic health services. To assess the job placement rate of the graduates, Pathfinder sent a questionnaire to each girl's home. Thirty-two of the 40 graduates have responded and 30 of the 32 have found jobs. They are making an average of 4,989 Taka (about US$73) per month. This is higher than a primary school teacher's salary and is comparable to that of a secondary school teacher. Pathfinder claims that, not only did this training provide the girls with marketable skills, but because they return to remote villages to begin their careers they are providing health care in rural areas.
• Advocacy meetings were offered as a tool for creating community support for girls' education and delaying marriage. With help from Swanirvar, a Bangladeshi non-governmental organisation (NGO), Pathfinder held meetings to inform girls in the project area about the benefits of education and delaying marriage; the goal was to inspire hope for their futures and educate them about the dangers of early pregnancy. At these meetings, school uniforms and supplies were distributed and officials such as the upazila nibrahi
  (executive) officers, the education officers, the upazila health and family planning officer, headmasters, teachers, parents, and religious leaders spoke about the risks of early marriage and the importance of keeping girls in school. The meetings attracted local media attention, further spreading the message for girls to delay marriage and stay in school.

A number of specific programme impacts are shared in this document; for example, an informal study conducted by Swanirvar found that the rate of early marriage had dropped from 50% (as reported in The Daily Ittefaq, a Bangladeshi newspaper) in 2004 to 42% in 2006. Swanirvar collected the information from schools and marriage registration offices during field visits. Qualitative findings are also offered: "The girls' confidence is apparent in their demeanor and in their eagerness to answer questions about their education and their futures. This confidence will help them enjoy more equitable marriages. 'In our family our father dictated everything. But I will share power in my family. If my husband wants five children I will teach him about family planning,' said Keyamun Nahar Keya."

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