The country will require 215 years to eliminate child marriage as per the current rate of reduction of child marriage in the country, said the United Nations Population Fund.
鈥楥urrently, the rate of reduction of child marriage in Bangladesh is only 2.1 per cent per year, which means it will take over two centuries 鈥� 215 years 鈥� to eliminate child marriage,鈥� said Kristine Blokhus, country representative of the UNFPA in Bangladesh.
A joint press release, issued by the United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund and the UNFPA on Wednesday, also read that Bangladesh must accelerate its efforts by 22 times to meet Sustainable Development Goal 5 for the elimination of child marriage by 2030.
While the latest available data indicates a downward trend in child marriage in many districts in the country, these marriages remain high among underprivileged, uneducated, and rural girls, it also read.
As per the release, the women and children affairs ministry of the Bangladesh government, in collaboration with the UNFPA and the UNICEF, on the day launched the Phase III of the joint Global Programme to End Child Marriage targeting the most marginalised communities and aiming to bolster resources and sharpen focus to support the government to end child marriages.
The SDG 5 is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
The Bangladesh government, meanwhile, has pledged to abolish marriages for girls under the age of 18 by 2041.
Kristine Blokhus also said that keeping girls in school was a game changer.
鈥業ncreased, targeted investments in sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education equip adolescent girls with the tools to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives and empower them as agents of change and future leaders,鈥� she added.
Addressing the launching event, the state minister for women and children affairs Simeen Hussain Rimi said, 鈥榃e commend collaborative efforts of the UNFPA and the UNICEF and affirm our commitment to working closely and effectively to implement the National Plan of Action to End Child Marriage and roll out the Child Marriage Restraint Act.鈥�
She also added that focus on the behavioural aspect for changing people鈥檚 outlook was also a must as law alone could not change what was being practiced for long.
Stanley Gwavuya, OIC Representative of the UNICEF in Bangladesh said that they would work with partners to address the root causes, engage key actors, and provide comprehensive support to both unmarried and married adolescent girls.
Set to run till 2030, the new phase of GPECM programme is set to focus on strengthening the legal framework against child marriage, increasing education completion rates, and shifting social norms by leveraging the social protection schemes and engaging with communities.
Over the next four years from 2024 to 2027, the programme aims to engage over 12 lakh girls aged between 10 and 19 in life skills or comprehensive sexuality education interventions.