Parents flee as magistrate foils child marriage in Habiganj

The parents of a 13-year-old bride have fled from a wedding party in Ajmiriganj upazila of Habiganj after the local UNO appeared on the scene.

A team of police led by UNO and Executive Magistrate Mohammad Shafiqul Islam conducted the mobile court on Friday.

In the absence of the parents, the girl’s elder brother was fined Tk5,000 under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act.

A bond was also taken to the effect that she would not be married until she is 18. 

Also Read - 50 child marriages in a Satkhira school during pandemic

In recent times, child marriage has been rampant amid the Covid-19 pandemic across the country while many weddings were stopped -- thanks to the operations by local officials. 

Poverty and economic hardship are considered to be the leading causes of child marriage, but female children of many well-off families are also married off before they turn 18. 

Also Read - School closures for Covid trigger child marriage

Bangladesh ranked among the 10 countries of the world with the highest levels of child marriage in 2020, according to a Unicef report.

A recent survey by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) found that at least 13,886 child marriages were held in 21 districts between April and October 2020.