Editorial
The population problem
Early marriage and pregnancy must be lowered
DESPITE significant successes in reduced infant and maternal mortality rates, as well as, to an extent, fertility rates, overpopulation remains a key concern in Bangladesh, which has the highest population density in the world and a projected population of 20 crore by the year 2050. Experts claim that early marriage and adolescent pregnancy are major aggravating factors. Eliminating child marriage could reduce the number of annual births by 7.5 lakh.
Four out of five of the world's 580 million adolescents are from developing countries, with Bangladesh ranking the global third in terms of adolescent pregnancy. Despite 18 being the legal of age of marriage for women in this country, early marriage is rampant, especially in rural areas, with 17 percent of girls getting married before the age of 15. Most of them have two children by the age of 18. Not only does early marriage raise population statistics, but it also has adverse effects on the participants, especially girls. Their education often comes to a halt, reducing their options for employment along with it and making them dependent on their partners and families. Poor health is a major issue, with 194 out of every 1 lakh women dying during childbirth, most of them adolescents.
Laws prohibiting early marriage must be strictly and diligently enforced. More importantly, through social and media campaigns, people must be made to understand the country's population problem and the risks of early marriage and pregnancy to themselves.
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