More than 1,000, or 85%, of 1,200 girls who received income-generating support from Save the Children in Bangladesh were able to avoid marriage and continue with their education after being able to start generating independent incomes.
A campaign running for 100 days from 27 November last year until International Women’s Day on 8 March has mobilised communities, faith leaders, and organisations to advocate for an end to child marriage globally with about one in five girls married before 18 – or about 28 girls every minute.
DHAKA, 5 March 2026 - More than 1,000 girls in Bangladesh have avoided marriage and stayed in education after receiving income-generating support from Save the Children, including being given goats for rearing, at a time when child marriage is on the rise.
Bangladesh has the highest percentage of child marriages in Asia, according to the UN [1], with nearly 42% of children married before 18, up from 30% in 2018, according to 2023 government data. The number of children married before 15 rose to over 8% in 2023 from nearly 5% in 2018 [2].
A campaign running for 100 days from 27 November last year until International Women’s Day on 8 March has mobilised communities, faith leaders, and organisations to advocate for an end to child marriage globally with about one in five girls married before 18 – or about 28 girls every minute [3].
Following a year in which global aid cuts disproportionately hit countries where women and girls face the greatest gender equality gaps, this International Women’s Day is focused less on celebrating progress and more about asking who is protecting it.
With many governments reducing funding for gender equality, communities are increasingly taking the lead on driving progress like those campaigning for an end to child marriage in Bangladesh.
Amina*, from Barishal, a largely rural district in Bangladesh, was 14 when relatives said she should marry after her father died. She also had to drop out of school as her mother couldn’t afford the fees. Her older sisters were married at 14 and 15.
But Amina* was able to return to school and avoid child marriage with support from Save the Children. The two goats she received helped relieve financial pressures and, through community sessions, she learned about the risks and long-term impacts of child marriage.
For Amina*, the goats became a herd of four, providing a sustainable source of income. She sold one goat to pay for her entrance exam to school, enabling her to resume her studies and even begin tutoring younger children in her community.
More than 1,000, or 85%, of 1,200 girls who received income-generating support from Save the Children were able to avoid marriage and continue with their education after being able to start generating independent incomes.
Amina*, now 18, said:
“My uncles around me said, ‘Marry her off’, I felt helpless. I thought this is happening because I’m a girl. [Now] it feels great to stand on my own feet and go to school. Through studying, I’m getting many opportunities. You can get jobs and learn many things.
“If I had been married early, I’d be raising children now. I wouldn’t go to college or hang out with friends. My life would be totally different. My sisters say, “We wish we could study. It would be better.” My sisters had dreams, but they never came true. One wanted to be a doctor, or engineer, or a teacher.
“People in our area now see that girls can do something. They see that girls can achieve things beyond child marriage.”
Despite progress to reduce child marriage, around 12 million girls still marry each year, 2 million before their 15th birthday. Adolescent pregnancy puts girls at higher risk of birth and pregnancy complications. Girls who are married are also more likely to face gender-based violence throughout their lives [4].
World leaders are meeting this month in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women, the largest high-level global meeting on gender equality held each year. This year marks the Commission's 70th anniversary and the beginning of a revitalisation of the organisation, designed to increase the participation of women’s rights organisations and girl-led groups.
Shumon Sengupta, Country Director, Save the Children in Bangladesh said:
“Child marriage robs girls and boys of their childhoods and their futures. It is a form of violence that disproportionately impacts girls, causing them to drop out of school and become mothers too early. It leads to unimaginable distress and devastating consequences for young lives.
“It is vital communities are given resources to challenge misconceptions and taboos around child marriage, empower girls and learn about the benefits of girls like Amina* being able to finish their education and bring in essential income for their families. Financial independence for girls is a crucial tool to help prevent child marriage.”
Between 2022 and 2024, Save the Children provided income generating support for girls, especially those out of school. The child rights organisation also ran awareness sessions on adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights and services, gender equality, child rights and the prevention of risks of child marriage at community level in about 200 secondary schools in Barishal, Gaibandha and Dhaka. The programme reached more than 65,000 adolescents, with about two-thirds girls.
Save the Children is also working with partner Breaking the Silence in Dhaka and Savar in early childcare centres and other child spaces for children to learn about their rights and issues such as gender equality and child marriage. The programme also supports child and adult-led community groups which can spread awareness about child marriage and intervene to prevent them through community-based child protection mechanisms.
Save the Children has been working in Bangladesh for more than 50 years. Together with government, civil society organisations and businesses we respond to major emergencies, deliver development programmes and ensure that children’s voices are heard through our campaigning to build a better future.
References:
*Denotes name changed to protect identity
[1] https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Profile_of_child_marriage_in_South_Asia.pdf
[2] Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023, page 242 https://bbs.gov.bd/pages/static-pages/6922db9a933eb65569e0b356
Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2022 (includes data back to 2018), page 42 https://objectstorage.ap-dcc-gazipur-1.oraclecloud15.com/n/axvjbnqprylg/b/V2Ministry/o/office-bbs/2024/12/940e736ebf414618977fd3d4e7b56e45.pdf
[3] https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/what-we-do/global-issues-hub/child-marriage#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%2012%20million%20girls,%2C%20education%2C%20and%20economic%20futures.
[4] https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/global-girlhood-report-2024
