Bangladesh has the highest incidence of child marriages in Asia. Here, 52 percent of girls are married off before reaching the age of 18, although the minimum age for marriage in Bangladesh is 18. The high rate of child marriages is reflected in school statistics. Only 45 percent of all adolescent girls attend school and even fewer attend regularly. Based on data collected by Plan International Bangladesh (PIB), we can see that girls are most often married off when taken out of school. Child marriages often lead to early pregnancy. One-third of all adolescent girls in Bangladesh are either mothers or pregnant, which also contributes to putting a firm stop to girls’ schooling.
Child labor is also an important reason why many boys and girls do not complete their schooling. In the slums, there are three times as many children who work compared with the national average. More than a third of all children in the slums aged between 10 and 14 work up to 60 hours a week in hazardous work rather than go to school.
Child Bride to Book Worm is based on the experience of Plan International in Bangladesh and their local partner SUROVI to improve conditions for the most vulnerable children in relation to education, active citizenship, and influence in local decision-making structures. This project focuses on individual primary and secondary schools, and their role in reducing the dropout rate.
This intervention is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Danida) and general Planbørnefonden donations. The project has a duration of 24 months, running from January 2020 to December 2022.
Impact:
The project intervention will directly benefit 10,000-15000 children, aged 6-15, from slum areas in Dhaka at the 30 participating schools.
Outcomes:
The project is implemented in three steps:
- Improved School Governance: 30 primary and secondary schools in and around slum areas participate in a two-year development process which strengthens the school’s ability to address dropout.
- School-based Initiatives: Creating an enabling school and learning environment to continue schooling for children, and raising awareness in local communities to emphasize the importance of continuing education, including the adverse effect of child labour and child marriage in terms of future opportunities and development.
- Model Development and Influencing: A model development based on documentation of lessons-learned will be used to influence plans, policies and investments of local authorities in cooperation with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Education.
