Child Marriage: Bede Girls Still Being Robbed Of Their Childhood
The Bank of the Bangshi river of Savar upazila, Dhaka is the habitat of the bede community. According to the report of The Daily Star, the majority of the bede girls are married off before the age of 15 and by 18 they become mothers of two.
Since they do not possess any land or permanent source of income they are financially unstable. Holding traditional professions, they used to earn through snake charming, selling herbal medicines or they were called during traditional fests as well. But due to rapid urbanisation and covid pandemic, their income-generating activities collapsed. They are deprived of their basic needs. Economically they are broken and can barely have three meals per day and often begging is the last spot. Amid these, marrying off their daughters is preferred than educating them.
According to a field survey of 2020, conducted upon 60 Bede respondents, 41.66% cannot build better houses; while 46.67% cannot afford their children’s educational expenses and 53.33% cannot afford better treatment facilities, 40% cannot buy nutritious food and again 30% take debt from moneyed persons of their community and non-governmental organisations. The above-mentioned data indicates their socio-economic condition.
This vulnerable community has remained ignored for a long time. The administration and government need to rescue them. It is unacceptable that the bede community is in such distress in spite of Bangladesh Government’s social safety net schemes and other social protection measures. Additionally, local administration must answer for the increasing number of child marriages in this marginal community.
Source :
- https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/bede-girls-being-robbed-their-childhood-3233361
- Ayesha Siddequa Daize, M. L. (2021). Traditional Profession and Livelihood Strategies Of Bede Community in Bangladesh: A Sociological Study. Bangladesh Journal online , 24.
Photo Credit: Md. Abdus Salam
Photo Source: The Third Pole