Child marriage currently affects about 15 million girls worldwide every year, with two in three girls in Bangladesh are married before their 18th birthday.
“These are the sort of issues that affected us a hundred years ago, or more, in Ireland,” says Froggatt. “We’ve now got more choices. But Bangladesh is at that very early stage. When a girl is married off to someone she’s never met before, she’s likely to have to give up her education. The tradition is that she moves in with her husband’s family and looks after the house. And she often falls pregnant very quickly because they’re not wise about birth control. For some girls it’s just a life of servitude from then on in. They have no say.”
During her trip, Joanne joined up with the Wedding Busters on her trip – a group in Bangladesh, who are actively campaigning to stop child marriage.
When they hear about a possible child wedding, they swing into action – taking it upon themselves to visit the family of the daughter (accompanied by an adult) and explain why it’s important she carries on her education. What’s even more remarkable? The Wedding Busters are just teens themselves – aged between 11 and 18. What’s more they are boys as well as girls.
Of Bangladeshi women with no education are married under 18
Average age a girl gets married in Bangladesh
Plan’s goal for 2015 average marriage age for Bangladeshi women
