213 girls forced into child marriage in Jhenaidah this year

Before this year's SSC examinations, 213 teenage girls in Jhenaidah district were subjected to child marriage. Although their guardians filled out the exam forms, these girls did not sit for the exams.

This information came to light through a survey conducted by the Jhenaidah District Education Office covering SSC, Dakhil, and Vocational exams in the district.

In 2024, a total of 257 students across the six upazilas of Jhenaidah were married off before taking their SSC exams.

Organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, working to prevent child marriage state that stopping child marriage in Jhenaidah has become increasingly difficult. Despite administrative surveillance, marriages are being conducted in secret. As a result, incidents of divorce and marital separation are rising in society.

Even before this year’s SSC exams, 213 female students in Jhenaidah were married off. Although the Child Marriage Prevention Committee is active, they are struggling to prevent these marriages. Various organizations have launched programs to stop child marriage, but they are proving ineffective.

According to the Jhenaidah District Education Office, this year 66 boys and 204 girls were absent from the SSC exams. Among the 204 absent girls, 174 were already married. Additionally, the education department found that 33 girls from the Dakhil exams and six from vocational exams were also married.

Abdur Rahman, Executive Head of RDC (an organization working to prevent child marriage), stated that during a post-SSC meeting of the Child Marriage Prevention Committee, he raised concerns over the declining attendance of female students. In response, the Deputy Commissioner of Jhenaidah ordered an investigation. Following that directive, the District Education Office conducted a survey across six upazilas and uncovered the data on child marriage. He remarked that failing to prevent child marriage is deeply unfortunate.

Munshi Feroza Sultana, the Jhenaidah District Women’s Affairs Officer, said there is no negligence from the administration regarding these marriages. Everyone on the Child Marriage Prevention Committee is sincere in their efforts. However, due to the secrecy and relocation involved in conducting these marriages, the authorities remained unaware.

District Education Officer Lutfar Rahman stated that upon investigating the absenteeism of girls from exam centers, it was found that 213 students in the district had been married, which is deeply concerning.

Afroza Parveen, a research officer at the District Education Office, said that in rural areas, the age of girls is often falsified on birth certificates to enable underage marriages. Often, they only learn about the marriages after they have taken place. Even when legal action is pursued, the girls are secretly sent to their husbands’ homes.