Preventing Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Bangladesh: Understanding socio-economic drivers and legislative gaps

Child, early, and forced marriage is a fundamental human rights violation, and it affects all aspects of a girl’s life. It disproportionately affects girls compared with boys, curtailing a girl’s education, limiting her opportunities, increasing her risk of violence and abuse and trapping her in poverty. In Bangladesh, 59% of girls are married before their 18th birthday and 22% are married before the age of 15. This report is the result of research into child, early and forced marriage in Bangladesh and its legal context in the country. The research is part of the Oxfam Canada and Global Affairs Canada-funded project entitled Creating Spaces to Take Action on Violence against Women and Girls, which seeks to reduce violence against women and girls across six countries in South and South East Asia.  The report discusses the socio-economic drivers of CEFM, illustrates legislative gaps, and includes recommendations for initiatives and approaches that could be developed to combat child, early and forced marriage.