Child marriage persists in Baliakandi. Over half of all marriages were to child brides and only minor reductions were seen over the past decade. Pregnancies were common among adolescent girls with no evidence of delayed pregnancy after marriage. Compared to adults, adolescents were more likely to experience complications during delivery and perinatal death. Preventing child marriage has substantial social and health benefits for girls and, by doing so, will also contribute to Bangladesh’s commitment to reduce child mortality.

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Persistence of child marriage in rural Bangladesh and impact on maternal and perinatal health: findings from a health and demographic surveillance system

Authors: Kyu Han Lee, Atique I. Chowdhury, Qazi S. Rahman, Solveig A. Cunningham, Shahana Parveen, Sanwarul Bari, Shams E. Arifeen, Emily S. Gurley