Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Child marriage still common in many parts of Dhubri dist

By Correspondent

DHUBRI, Dec 14 - At a time when much stress has been laid on education and development of children, child marriage is still prevalent in many remote villages of the district.

According to data available with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Dhubri, it has stopped nearly 12 such marriages in the district from January to November this year and rescued minors involved. Statistics available with the committee stated that such cases are high in Golokganj, Bilasipara, Agomoni and Balazan areas. Even in South Salmara-Mankachar district, child marriage is common.

According to civil society groups and different student unions, these are just a number of cases that have been attended by the CWC. But the actual number is much higher than the figures in the report. �Hundreds of child marriages are conducted every year with full acceptance by the families of the brides and grooms,� Kibriya Siddique, general secretary of Deshi Janagosthiya Manch, said.

Siddique added, �The saddest part in such a marriage is that the consent of the groom and specially the bride, doesn�t matter at all. With such a marriage, a woman�s rights violation starts which continues for the rest of her life.�

Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent, CWC member Johirul Islam accepted that the number of child marriages in Dhubri district is very high and they are unable to stop all such issues due to various reasons which are inscrutable.

He, however, cited some reasons behind such marriages and its after effects. �When two minors get married, the first adverse effect is on the health of the girl child. When this child gives birth to a baby, the health of both the child and the mother are in danger. And due to this, the maternal mortality rate is high in these areas,� Islam added.

The main reasons behind such marriages are lack of proper education and poverty, he said. �Many such families believe that sooner their boys get married, another member will be added to their families, who will contribute to the family income caring least about the health of the minor mother and her child,� he added.

Next Story