Child marriage is a global problem affecting 15 million girls every year. The practice severely limits their life choices, and there is a growing consensus within the international community that it has far-reaching consequences for the girls, their families and their communities. In 2014 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution asking all member states to pass and enforce laws banning child marriages. Some members have responded promptly to the call by adopting new laws to bring an end to child marriage.
However, during the same period, the government of Bangladesh has been contemplating a move that would permit girls to marry at 16 with parental consent and/or approval from courts. If the law is passed, it would mark the first occasion that girls are legally permitted to marry below the age of 18 in the Indian subcontinent since the "Child Marriage Restraint Act" came into effect in 1929.
