By Rita Bhowmick, Back from Gabura (Shyamnagar, Satkhira)
Across the Kholpetua River in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, lies Gabura. To reach the villages of this union adjacent to the Sundarbans, one must cross the river by trawler from Neel Dumur Ghat to Chokbara Ghat on the other side. Beyond lies a narrow dirt path- navigable only on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle. During the monsoon, the route becomes far more treacherous with mud and water, while severe weather frequently halts river transport altogether.
On an August 17 afternoon soaked in rain, a teenage girl sat on a red plastic chair on the porch of a wooden house in Chokbara village. A red scarf draped over her head, her hands still bore the fresh stains of henna. Only days prior, she sat in class alongside her peers in a school uniform; today, her identity is that of a bride. Her name is Ashamoni Akter, just 13 years old. A fifth-grade student at Gainbari No. 55 Gabura Government Primary School, her marriage took place on August 14.
Child bride Ashamoni before even finishing fifth grade. Photo: Rita Bhowmick
Speaking with Ashamoni revealed that she has no desire to return to school; her interest now lies in managing a household rather than studying.
When asked why the marriage happened at such a young age, her mother, Moriyam Khatun, stated that the father’s decision is absolute in the household. As a day laborer, his earnings are meager, and Ashamoni is the eldest child. Faced with growing concerns over the girl’s safety alongside financial distress, her father arranged the marriage to a groom currently studying at a madrasa.
Ashamoni’s aunt, Saidun Nesa, echoed similar sentiments, noting that sustaining a family on daily wages is extremely difficult. The minor allowance from the government for educating girls falls short of relieving household poverty.
News of the wedding reached Ashamoni’s classmates late. Classmates Rabeya Akter and Achiya Akter shared that Ashamoni had been absent for nearly a month before they learned of her marriage the day after the ceremony. Ashamoni excelled in both academics and sports, but she will no longer be seen at school.
More surprisingly, the acting headmaster of the school, Md. Jalal Uddin, was unaware of the marriage. He explained that in remote areas like Gabura, early marriages stem from financial hardship. In some cases, young boys earning an income early also drives the practice. Boys who drop out after seventh grade to work in brick kilns can earn up to 50,000–60,000 BDT per month; parents view them as capable providers and marry off their young daughters to them.
However, the outcomes are rarely fortunate. Domestic disputes frequently erupt within months, leading to physical and mental distress. Extramarital affairs, family strife, and divorce often force these young girls back to their parental homes.
In Kholishabunia village, another scene reflected the same reality. Anowara (15), a ninth-grade student at Gabura G.M. High School, was married on August 16.
Poverty turned out to be the reason behind Anowara’s child marriage. Photo: Rita Bhowmick.
Dressed in a floral red cotton sari with henna-dyed hands, Anowara shared that her father abandoned the family when she was young. Seeing her mother’s struggles, she agreed to the marriage. Her husband’s home is in Dumuria; he works as a brick kiln laborer for six months a year and catches fish in the river. However, he will not take her to his home immediately- she will remain with her mother for about a year while her husband works at the kiln and her father-in-law covers her expenses.
Anowara’s mother, Shamsun Nahar, has also spent her life battling poverty. Nearly 15 years ago, her husband abandoned her and their two daughters without a trace. Taking shelter at her brother’s home, she raised her children by working as a day laborer without owning any land. Explaining her inability to continue her daughter’s education, she noted that the government stipend of 1,500 to 1,600 BDT per year fails to cover expenses, especially when private tutoring costs 500–600 BDT monthly. After receiving no stipend upon entering ninth grade, she married off her daughter, unaware of the physical and mental harm of child marriage.
‘We are poor people; I couldn’t afford her education,’ Shamsun Nahar said. ‘I didn’t know the harm of early marriage, so I went ahead with it. Even if it brings harm now, nothing can be done- I was forced to do it. I have to survive too.’
Local resident Mohammad Salahuddin Milan attempted to intervene during Anowara’s wedding arrangements, but neighbors stopped him. Their rationale: the family is poor, a good groom was found who earns at a brick kiln, and obstructing the wedding could create trouble for the family.
Milan observed that many such marriages fail to last. Once a child is born, husbands often abandon their wives, leaving the girls to return to their parental homes with an infant and placing fresh strain on impoverished households.
Factors Underpinning Child Marriage
A field inspection across Gabura Union- covering 2 secondary schools, 1 out of 5 madrasas, and 6 out of 12 primary schools- revealed several interconnected drivers behind child marriage:
> Parental Anxiety: Fear of missing out on good suitors if waiting until age 18, combined with safety concerns.
> Groom Incentives: Families believe early marriage prevents young working men from going astray and settles them.
> Economic Strain: Inadequate educational stipends fail to offset private coaching and daily costs.
> Enforcement Deficit: Despite the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 (punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment, 100,000 BDT fine, or both), implementation in remote areas is lacking.
Gabura Union Parishad Chairman G.M. Masudul Alam noted that poverty and insufficient stipends are not the sole causes. Once a girl reaches 12–14 years of age, parents grow deeply anxious about her safety, particularly due to harassment on her commute to school. Marrying off the daughter is seen as a way to ensure her security. He added that while harassment does not occur directly around school premises, instances of eve-teasing persist on roads, prompting ongoing efforts to ensure safe transit for female students.
Mohammad Sakibur Rahman, a child marriage prevention activist and member of the Satkhira District Committee of the National Human Rights Commission, stated that awareness gaps remain significant among parents, teachers, and the public in Gabura. Long school distances and local youth harassment prevent parents from feeling safe sending their daughters to class.
He estimates that child marriage rates reach 70% to 75% across various parts of the union. Additional contributing factors include climate change-driven natural disasters, mobile phone addiction, religious motivations, and early income generation among young boys.
Geographic isolation presents another severe hurdle. Direct communication between district/upazila administrations and remote residents is minimal, meaning child marriages often take place before authorities can be notified.
Shyamnagar Upazila Women Affairs Officer Sharid Bin Shafiq explained that while interventions are swift in accessible regions, reaching remote locations like Gabura poses immense logistical challenges. Trawler service across the Kholpetua River stops after 4:00 PM, and adverse weather suspends crossings entirely. Families also routinely conceal upcoming marriages from the administration.
He emphasized that halting child marriage requires more than awareness campaigns; it demands a coordinated approach- expanding female educational access, boosting family income generation, improving infrastructure, and guaranteeing safety for young girls.
Teenage Perspectives on Early Marriage
For teenage girls in Gabura, the reality of child marriage is starkly visible. Ima Sultana, a tenth-grade student at Gabura G.M. High School, shared that marriages begin as early as sixth grade. Between sixth and tenth grade, roughly 30 to 35 girls have fallen victim to child marriage, ending their education.
‘We tried reasoning with many fathers,’ Ima said. When we went to their homes and asked them not to marry off their daughters during their studies, they replied, ‘Will you take responsibility if my honor is ruined?’ We have faced many threats while trying to stop these marriages from local influencers, teachers, chairmen, and parents who refuse to listen, saying, ‘She is my daughter, I will do as I please.’ Yet, two days after the wedding, many girls end up returning to their parents’ homes.’
Nahida Sultana Ruma, a top-ranked tenth-grade student at Chandnimukha Mannan Memorial High School, shared a similar account: ‘I have been studying here since sixth grade. Out of 55 female students enrolled in sixth grade, only 10 of us remain. The rest were married off.’
Muhsin Hossain, headmaster of Chandnimukha Mannan Memorial High School, confirmed that out of 55 students enrolled in sixth grade this year, three were married by August alone. Multiple meetings with parents have yielded little progress.
Some girls attempt to return to school after marriage, carrying the weight of broken households. Returning as seventh or eighth graders, they approach teachers seeking readmission.
In the villages of Gabura, child marriage is not merely a social custom; it is intertwined with poverty, insecurity, remote connectivity, climate disasters, and persistent gender norms. Navigating muddy paths and rivers to reach school is as challenging as reaching administrative help. Within these gaps, many school lives come to a halt, replacing textbooks with domestic duties for girls like fifth-grader Ashamoni and ninth-grader Anowara.
Breaking this cycle requires more than preventing weddings alone- it necessitates a secure learning environment, economic empowerment for families, infrastructure development, and efficient administrative outreach in isolated regions.
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About the Author:
Rita Bhowmick. A distinguished Bangladeshi journalist, researcher, and author with nearly three decades of experience, widely recognized for environmental reporting. Her Honours and Master’s degrees in Geography from the University of Dhaka underpin her analytical approach to environmental and social issues. Since 1997, she has worked with leading national dailies, including Jugantar (12 years), Samakal, and Ittefaq.
She currently serves as a correspondent for Pressenza (Dhaka Bureau) and a senior reporter at Banglaaffairs.com, with a strong focus on environment, climate, and their intersection with women, children, and social welfare. Her reporting is deeply rooted in environmental themes, particularly women and children, food security, rural livelihoods, and climate vulnerability, receiving fellowships from SNV (2018), Earth Journalism Network (2026), Okup (2026), and in 2024 for research on the contributions of rural indigenous women to agriculture and related wage disparities. She completed the Thomson Foundation’s “Women in Journalism” program and is a recipient of the UNFPA Media Award, Meena Media Award, WFP Media Award, and multiple Bazlur Rahman Sriti Padak awards. The author of more than 30 books, she remains an active member of the National Press Club and Bangla Academy, contributing to the field through impactful, solutions-oriented environmental journalism.
