“My mother got married when she was just 13 and she did not want that life for me”
“My mother got married when she was just 13 and she did not want that life for me,” says Tahmina. “I am the eldest of my siblings, but I would have had an older brother. He died just as he was born, because my mother was too young to have a baby,” she says. Yet six months back, this 16-year-old girl from Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar district in…, Poverty driving child marriage, 16-year-old Tahmina with her siblings. Bangladesh 16-year-old Tahmina with her siblings. Unable to pay her school fees, Tahmina’s parents almost married her off earlier this year. The struggle to make ends meet made Tahmina’s parents decide to marry off their daughter just as she was about to start Grade 10. The family did not have the money to…, A widespread social evil, Tahmina has been a peer leader at the Child Protection Community Hub since 2022. She talks to other children about child marriage and child labour to raise awareness. These hubs, run by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs with support from UNICEF and the European Union, are open to all children and adolescents in the community. Over a…, Defying harmful norms, Tahmina at home, studying. Her mother, Arefa, says she will do all she can to support her children to get educated. Tahmina at home, studying. Her mother, Arefa, says she will do all she can to support her children to get educated. For a little while, things were tense between Tahmina and her parents. “I was mad at them for a while and they were…