Child marriage in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is considered an “emergency hotspot” for girls’ rights according to humanitarian nonprofit Save the Children, which ranks countries with the highest risks that a girl will both be married as a child and face life-changing consequences from climate change.

The low-lying country is extremely vulnerable to the climate crisis. As the impacts of extreme weather push people further into poverty, and families become desperate to relieve some financial strain, the nonprofit says the risks of child marriage increase.

Marufa Khatun, from Satkhira in southwest Bangladesh, was married at 11 because her parents could no longer manage after cyclones and floods ripped through their community. Now 14, she is the mother of a 3-month-old baby. “I got married early because natural disasters are happening frequently now and our father cannot afford our expenses,” she told CNN.

Governments around the world have committed to end child marriage by 2030. But a recent analysis from Save the Children found that almost 9 million girls worldwide face extreme risk of climate disasters and child marriage every year.