Harsh realities of adolescent mothers in Bangladesh

Atika Begum (pseudonym) was only 14 when she was married off to a 30-year-old man - someone twice her age and disconnected from her world of innocence and curiosity. Her parents, without her consent, made a life-altering decision that pushed her into adulthood overnight. 

Within three years, she gave birth to a daughter. Despite being a new mother, her in-laws did not show any mercy. Her days turned into a nightmare, compounded further by domestic labour, verbal abuse, and physical violence at the hands of her husband and in-laws. 

Atika said that she never experienced peace, just struggled to survive the horrors. "I was nothing but a maid in that house," she said.  

At 27, Atika made a bold move; she left her abusive husband and migrated to Dhaka from Nilphamari. She found work at a juice factory and tried to rebuild her life with her child. But that wasn't the end of her suffering. 

"People in the area and even some co-workers at the factory tried to harass me, touch me, and speak badly. But I never gave anyone the chance to do any harm to me," she recalled firmly. 

Like Atia, Lovely, from Meherpur, was in class nine when she was forced to marry a migrant worker. Her dream was to become a teacher. But a year into the marriage, she became a mother. When her husband went abroad, she was left with her daughter at her father's home, only to be betrayed again.

"The money my husband sent was taken away by my father and brothers. Eventually, he divorced me," she said. Now, she works in a tobacco factory to support her six-year-old daughter, but the whispers of neighbours and the pain of lost dreams still haunt her.

Like Atika and Lovely, Ratna Begum (not her real name) had no control over her childhood. She was married off at 12, even before reaching puberty. 

Her husband, over 30, pressured her to conceive a baby. By the time she was 16, her health had deteriorated drastically. Then came betrayal, as her husband began an affair and the home turned into a battleground. 

At 20, Ratna left Rangpur with a female acquaintance and started working in a ceramics factory in Dhaka. There too, she faced stigma and discrimination. 

"My family never checked in on me. I was all alone in my struggle to survive," she said.

A nationwide crisis

These are not isolated stories. According to the UNFPA State of World Population Report 2025, over 51% of girls in Bangladesh are married before 18. Moreover, 71 out of every 1,000 girls aged between 15–19 are mothers or pregnant. 

These numbers reflect deep-rooted social, cultural, and economic issues that trap adolescent girls in cycles of poverty, violence, and lost opportunities.  

The unmet need for family planning services among married girls aged between 15–19 stands at 17%, the highest among all age groups. These girls are often denied the basic right to reproductive health decisions. 

"To reap benefits of the demographic dividend, adolescent mothers must be engaged in some way. They need both financial and psychological support. The government must adopt targeted planning — both short-term and long-term — based on specific regions." Dr Mohammad Mainul Islam, Professor, Population Sciences, Dhaka University

A report by UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International states that 24% of women aged between 20–24 gave birth before turning 18, and 28% of married adolescent girls have experienced physical or sexual violence by their partners. Worse, only 47% of these girls are able to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

In terms of digital literacy, Bangladesh remains one of the seven countries in the world where less than 2% of adolescent girls have digital skills.

What experts say

Dr Monjun Nahar of Marie Stopes Bangladesh opined that the consequences of child marriage extend beyond health risks.

"They drop out of school, never gain any professional skills, and spend their entire lives in unpaid domestic labour — seen as burdens by society," she explained. "They lose confidence and live a life of silence."

Dr Mohammad Mainul Islam, a professor of population sciences at Dhaka University, has pointed out the long-term impact. "One in three adolescent girls becomes a mother. Many face complications, suffer from malnutrition, and can't access maternal health services. They suffer from mental health risks, domestic violence, and struggle to participate in the formal labour force as well." 

Targeted planning is essential

Mainul Islam opined that to reap benefits of the demographic dividend, adolescent mothers must be engaged in some way. They need both financial and psychological support. The government must adopt targeted planning — both short-term and long-term — based on specific regions.

He further said that child marriage must be stopped at any cost. To achieve this, laws must be properly enforced. Initiatives must be taken at the grassroots level while multisectoral collaboration is also essential.

Mainul added that for adolescent girls who are already married or pregnant, steps must be taken to bring them back into education or integrate them into the labour market through proper training and initiatives. 

Awareness must be increased. Since they cannot easily enter the formal labour force, interventions like entrepreneurship opportunities can help them overcome social and economic hardships. For those who are already married, the use of contraceptives should be increased. 

This article has been produced in association with Badabon Sangho.