Slow progress for adolescent girls in Bangladesh, highest child marriage rate in Asia: UNICEF report

Serious attention needs to be paid to adolescent girls in Bangladesh, who still grapple with persistent inequalities, violence, child marriage, a lack of education and limited opportunities, said a UNICEF report.

To mark the International Women's Day, a new global report by UNICEF, Plan International, and UN Women highlights the urgent need for investment and policy changes to empower adolescent girls, said a press release.

The report, "Girl Goals: What has changed for girls? Adolescent girls' rights over 30 years," released today by UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International to mark the International Women's Day, recognizes the benefits to communities that invest in girls, particularly adolescent girls. 

The report highlights improvements in areas such as life expectancy, but calls for serious attention to be paid to adolescent girls in Bangladesh, which still grapple with persistent inequalities, violence, child marriage, a lack of education and limited opportunities.  

It emphasises the benefits extend beyond the individual, to the stability and economic development of their communities and countries. 

The report measures progress by countries thirty years after commitments were made in the 1995 Beijing Declaration. The report concludes that progress for girls has been made across many domains. Investments in education have paid dividends, while access to health care for girls has improved. Girls today are less likely to marry in childhood, with countries like Bangladesh still lagging behind with over fifty per cent of girls falling under this harmful practice, the highest in Asia. 

Yet despite robust evidence that investing in adolescent girls has a multiplier effect for girls, communities and countries, they continue to fall behind their male peers in many areas. For instance, adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 are still twice as likely to not be in education, employment or training, and 9 out of 10 in low income countries are offline.  

Of particular concern, the report notes that no country has yet met even half of the 16 SDG targets crucial to adolescent girls' well-being, and calls for significant refocus with only five years left to achieve the 2030 SDG Agenda. 

"Adolescent girls in Bangladesh want to contribute to a flourishing Bangladesh where they can embrace opportunities and support their country to thrive. Yet, barriers and discrimination continue to hold them, and their country back. Access to life skills and digital literacy are critical but so too is addressing the extremely high rates of child marriage and violence against girls and women, which in turn leads to early and dangerous childbearing – which too often claims the lives of the young girl and the baby," said Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh. 

"This International Women's Day let's break barriers and create equal opportunities, driving hope for all. We must amplify girls' voices and ensure their participation in decision-making. At a crucial time of change in Bangladesh and responding to the call from the young women and men for a better future, we urge the government to invest in adolescent health services, a strong social work workforce, education, nutrition, ensuring life skills and digital literacy for all girls." 

According to the report, Bangladesh has the 8th highest prevalence of child marriage in the world and the highest prevalence in Asia, with 51.4 percent of women aged 20-24 marrying before 18. This scourge perpetuates poverty for girls, risking their health and limiting their potential and the economic growth of Bangladesh, as half of the population is at risk.  

The report shows that globally child marriage and early childbearing are closely linked, with 24 percent of women aged 20-24 giving birth before 18 in Bangladesh. Additionally, 28 per cent of adolescent girls aged 15-19 in Bangladesh have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner during the last 12 months, and only 47 percent of married adolescent girls aged 15-19 can make informed decisions about reproductive health. 

"As we commemorate 30 years of the Beijing Declaration, we celebrate progress on the rights of women and girls while acknowledging that gains remain slow, fragile, and uneven. In Bangladesh, many young girls are still out of school, at risk of harmful practices and violence.  An 'all-hands-on-deck' approach is essential to advance their potential. Investing in their empowerment and leadership is not just the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do," said Gitanjali Singh, UN Women Representative in Bangladesh. 

The completion rate for adolescent girls in secondary education in Bangladesh is 59.22 per cent. The report stresses the need for significant efforts by the government and all stakeholders to meet the 2030 SDG targets for adolescent girls' education.  

The report also highlights that among all countries reported, Bangladesh is among the seven countries with the proportion of adolescent girls and young women with digital skills ranging from 2 per cent or fewer. 

"I am very happy to observe that Bangladesh has made high efforts to reduce adolescent birth rates, increasing services for skilled birth attendants, and girls and young women's economic participation. Improvements are also visible in the enrolment and completion rates of girls in primary, secondary and higher secondary enrolment," said Kabita Bose, country director at Plan International Bangladesh. 

"However, the quality of education remains a challenge. Girls and young women are alarmingly lagging behind in digital skills. There are still a lot to do to reduce child, early and forced marriage and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents as well as safe mobility for girls in the public spheres. Plan International is working to empower girls and youth with the goal of 'All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change' until we are all equal." 

Despite many challenges, the report reveals that the life expectancy of 15-year old adolescent girls has increased globally to 79.1 years (4.5 years longer), marking improvements in health and well-being. Thanks to new campaigns like the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the health and future of millions of girls across Bangladesh is better protected by safeguarding them against cervical cancer, a disease that claims the lives of thousands of women in the country annually. 

UNICEF supported a successful Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign in 2023-24, with 93 per cent of eligible girls vaccinated against HPV across the country. 

Overall, the report calls for urgent action to address the stalled progress in key areas, including: 

Elevating adolescent girls' voices and supporting their advocacy. Focusing on closing the education, skills, and training gap, particularly in digital literacy. Investing in data-driven interventions to address the most pressing needs of adolescent girls, with a focus on economic empowerment. 

In Bangladesh, UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International are working with the government, civil society, and communities to ensure every adolescent girl has equal opportunity to thrive. The three organizations support efforts to prevent child marriage, strengthen child protection and social workforce, shift harmful norms, enhance health systems, and empower girls and communities as change agents.