M Niaz Asadullah

July 12, 2016

Ending early marriage in Bangladesh and Uganda

The practice of child marriage adversely affects the lives of millions of girls in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, nearly one in every two girls is married before reaching their 18th birthday. The situation is worse in Bangladesh where two out of every three women aged between 20 and 24 marry young.
July 26, 2015

Delaying marriage, educating the next generation

Every year millions of adolescent girls marry young in South Asia. They are burdened with responsibilities as young wives and teenage mothers. In most cases, girls are coerced into marriage in varying circumstances. Research indicates that child brides face greater physical violence and a number of health risks. However, evidence is also building up on another more serious consequence of early marriage.
March 8, 2015

In school, but not learning

According to UNESCO, South Asia is home to 335 million adolescents between the ages of 10-19 years, but only 51 per cent attend secondary school. Schooling is important for realising the full potential of learning in adolescence. However, simply increasing the number of students enrolled at school may not be enough in countries where teachers are poorly trained or not even present to teach in the classroom. Inadequate school quality combined with household poverty may limit the potential gains from schooling.