Plan of Action launched to eliminate child marriage in Bangladesh

Dhaka, 2 August, 2018: The National Plan of Action (NPA) to End Child Marriage has been launched today (Thursday) to eliminate child marriage through existing institutional initiatives, programmes and combined efforts of all.

The goal of the NPA is to end the marriage of girls below the age of 15 years and to reduce by one third the rate of marriage for girls aged 18 years in 2021, and to completely eliminate child marriage by 2041.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and UNICEF Bangladesh jointly organized the launch of the National Plan of Action to End Child Marriage (2018-2030) in the city today. State Minister of Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki MP attended the launch as Chief Guest, while the High Commissioner of UK to Bangladesh Alison Blake CMG, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Md. Muazzem Hossain, Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh Orla Murphy and UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder were present as special guests. 

Congratulating the government for launching the much-awaited National Plan of Action to end child marriage, Edouard Beigbeder, Representative, UNICEF Bangladesh said: “Ending child marriage is a priority for both the Government and its development partners, as it will preserve childhoods, secure children’s rights to education and life, reduce their exposure to violence and exploitation and contribute to ending intergenerational poverty.”

He also hoped that in line with the guiding principles, strategies and expected results outlined in the NPA, partners will move forward in supporting the Government of Bangladesh to end child marriage in this country and thus promote the rights of young girls and boys to have a better future.      

In keeping with the Prime Minister’s pledge to end the child marriage, the Government of Bangladesh has already enacted Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017 and has undertaken a number of initiatives to prevent child marriage. The National Plan of Action to End Child Marriage (2018-2030) has been formulated to realise the commitments of the government.

Under the overall leadership of the Ministry for Women and Children Affairs, the National Plan of Action has been developed as a result of a lengthy, broad and inclusive process of consultations at national and sub-national levels. The many consultations that have been held at Dhaka and in the seven divisions of the country involved not only different government agencies and local level authorities, but also a wide range of INGOs, NGOs, donor agencies, UN organizations, civil society groups, religious heads, adolescent girls and boys themselves.

The timeframe for implementing the National Action Plan is from 2018-19 fiscal year to 2029-30 fiscal year. The 2018-19 fiscal year has been considered as the base year.