Save Earth Society Steps In to Challenge Deep-Rooted Norms and Support Girls’ Right to Learn
In the sun-drenched fields of rural Bangladesh, where rice paddies sway and families live modestly, a silent tragedy unfolds every day: girls are forced to trade their school uniforms for bridal attire. Despite decades of development gains, child marriage remains one of the most devastating barriers to girls’ education, particularly in impoverished regions.
One organisation, however, is working to change that. Save Earth Society, a grassroots initiative based in Cumilla, has been quietly transforming the lives of girls at risk—by intervening early, raising awareness, and providing community-based alternatives that keep girls in school and out of early marriages.
Marriage Before Maturity
Bangladesh has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world. According to UNICEF (2022), over 51% of girls are married before the age of 18, and nearly 18% before age 15. In rural regions like Kurigram, Cumilla, and Barisal, the figures climb even higher, fuelled by poverty, dowry traditions, and social pressure.
For many families, marrying off their daughters early is seen as a protective measure—a way to secure their future and preserve “honour”. But the cost is immense.
“I dropped out of school after Class 6,” says Ayesha (16), now a mother of one in Cumilla Sadar. “My parents said a husband would protect me better than school books. But now I do not even know how to sign my name.”
Education Interrupted: A Cascade of Consequences
The impact of child marriage on education is clear: once married, most girls do not return to school. In fact, research from Plan International (2021) indicates that only 2% of married adolescent girls continue their education. The reasons are many:
- Household responsibilities
- Early pregnancy
- Lack of social acceptance
- Absence of flexible schooling options
The Bangladesh Education Statistics 2020 show that the dropout rate for girls between Class 6 and Class 10 is over 38%, with early marriage cited as the leading cause.
A Structural Trap: Poverty, Dowry, and Patriarchy
At the heart of this crisis lies a vicious cycle of poverty and patriarchy. In interviews conducted by Save Earth Society across 10 rural unions in Cumilla, parents revealed that economic hardship was the top reason for marrying their daughters early.
“Feeding five children is not easy,” explains Rahima Begum, a mother of three. “We gave our eldest daughter in marriage at 14 because the groom’s family didn’t ask for dowry.”
This anecdote echoes findings from Human Rights Watch (2020), which highlighted how dowry demands often rise with a girl’s age or education level, creating a perverse incentive to marry girls young.
A Local Force for Change
Amid this deeply entrenched problem, Save Earth Society has launched a targeted initiative called "Girls Grow Green", linking the rights of girls to education, environmental stewardship, and community resilience.
“We realised that saving the Earth is not just about trees and rivers,” says founder Md Mahamudul Hasan. “It’s also about saving the dreams of girls who are being silenced too soon.”
Listening to the Girls
In 2024, Save Earth Society conducted a mixed-methods study in Burichang and Debidwar Upazilas. The study combined:
- Surveys of 400 school-going and dropout girls aged 12–18
- In-depth interviews with local religious leaders, teachers, and parents
- Case tracking of 50 girls identified as "at risk" of early marriage
The findings were telling:
- 73% of dropout girls were married within one year of leaving school
- 64% of respondents cited economic pressure as the main driver
- 81% expressed a desire to continue education if given the opportunity
What Save Earth Society Does
Based on this data, Save Earth Society adopted a multi-pronged model:
1. Community Dialogues
They hold monthly sessions with imams, parents, and village leaders to discuss the health, legal, and economic costs of early marriage.
“The Qur'an teaches compassion and justice,” says Imam Hafiz Mizan, who now supports the campaign. “Forcing a girl into marriage is neither.”
2. School Reintegration Programs
They partner with local schools to create flexible attendance options for married or at-risk girls and support with uniforms and tuition fees.
3. Livelihood Training for Mothers
By training mothers in sewing, composting, or handicrafts, families are given alternatives to dowry-driven income decisions.
4. Girls’ Clubs and Mentorship
Adolescents like Sumaiya (13), a club leader, act as peer mentors. “We meet every Friday,” she says. “We talk about school, our bodies, our dreams.”
Stories of Change
Nasima, a 15-year-old from a rural hamlet near Chandina, was nearly married off last year. But after an intervention by a Save Earth Society volunteer, her parents agreed to postpone the wedding and enrolled her in a computer skills class.
Today, she attends a secondary school and mentors younger girls. “If I had been married”, she says, “I would be washing dishes. Now, I will finish my SSC and become a nurse.”
Policy Alignment and the National Push
The Government of Bangladesh has committed to eliminating child marriage by 2041, with interim goals of reducing it by one-third by 2025. Key strategies include:
- Updating the Child Marriage Restraint Act (2017)
- Running the Adolescent Empowerment Program in 20 districts
- Promoting gender-sensitive curricula
Yet without community-level enforcement and support systems, national plans risk falling short.
Save Earth Society's model complements national policy by addressing the local moral economy—where laws are often superseded by tradition.
Recommendations for Scaling Impact
Based on their findings and field experience, Save Earth Society advocates for:
- Conditional Cash Transfers: Link family subsidies to girls staying in school
- Safe Study Spaces: Offer evening classes for girls with daytime household duties
- Mobile Counseling Units: Deploy teams to intervene in imminent marriages
- Scholarships tied to environmental action: Reward girls for participating in eco-initiatives with tuition support
A Generation in the Balance
Child marriage is not simply a personal tragedy—it is a national development crisis. Each girl lost to early marriage is a lost teacher, nurse, leader, or innovator. And in a world facing climate breakdown, gender-based inequality only amplifies our vulnerabilities.
But change is possible.
Save Earth Society shows that by working with—not against—local customs and by investing in girls, we can create networks of resistance and resilience.
As Suriya, the mother of a 14-year-old girl saved from early marriage, put it:
“We used to think a girl must marry to be safe. Now we think: let her study. Let her grow.”
📚 References (APA Style)
Human Rights Watch. (2020). No Way Out: Child Marriage and Human Rights Abuses in Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org
Plan International. (2021). Real Choices, Real Lives: Girls' Education and Early Marriage. Retrieved from https://plan-international.org
Save Earth Society. (2024). Girls Grow Green Program Report. Internal Publication, Cumilla, Bangladesh.
UNICEF. (2022). Child Marriage Country Profile: Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh
Bangladesh Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. (2023). National Strategy to End Child Marriage in Bangladesh (2021–2041).