International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2014): 5.611 Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2016 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY Early Marriage Impact on Female‟s Health and Their Satisfactory Level: A Distinctive Analytical Study in Bangladesh Ishita Roy 1 , Amit Kumar Sarker 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj-8100 Student of MBA, Department of Management Studies, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj-8100 Abstract: Early or Child marriage is a strong social custom, particularly for girls in Bangladesh. Most societies have standards that set a minimum age for marriage. But in many communities this age requirement is too low - especially for girls and does not take their psychological or physiological readiness for marriage into consideration. Actually, the vital reasons of early marriage and that’s why impact of it’s on among them are poverty, superstition, lack of social security, education and lack of awareness. For this kind of facts of it creates also impact on female’s health. According to UNICEF report, “the State of the World’s Children, 2009”, “Early marriage is pervasive in Bangladesh, with 64 percent of girls married before age 18. Early pregnancy often results from child marriage; one-third of girls aged 15 to 19 in Bangladesh are currently either mothers or pregnant.” Although child marriage is prohibited legally, but incidences of child marriage through their impact of health are still happening in rural areas of Bangladesh. According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 years for females in Bangladesh. Along with this Act of child marriage is punishable by law. The right to free and full consent to a marriage is recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and in many subsequent human rights instruments. To prevent child marriage, a wide range of individuals and organizations need to create awareness among people why it’s create devastating impact on women’s health, particularly the poor. Especially, parents and government can play main role to reducing this kind of impact of through child marriage. An environment should be ensured where children get proper care and facility to grow up completely and properly. Keywords: Early marriage satisfaction, impact of early marriage,females of rural areas in Bangladesh, chi-square test and frequency distribution 1. Introduction Children are dependent upon parents and others for growing up. As a social practice entered into through a public act, religious or traditional ceremony, it reflects the purposes, character, and customs of the society in which it is found. Many societies have norms that limit the age of young girls to enter into marriage, but in some cases the age limit does not take into consideration their physiological readiness for childbearing. Marriage often takes place at ages much earlier than the legally approved minimum age. Early marriage is the marriage of children and teenagers below the age of 18. The practice of early marriage is most common in Bangladesh and South Asia. In specific parts of Bangladesh, marriage before sexual maturity is not unusual. We see that in Bangladesh, and other parts of Asia marriage shortly after sexual maturity is common among those living traditional lifestyles. Marriages of female teenagers between sixteen and eighteen years of age are also common in parts of Bangladesh. Among those marrying early, some are forced into this union, others are simply too young to make an informed decision. Because the child does not have the opportunity to exercise her right to choose, early marriages are also referred to as forced marriages. In its most extreme form, forced marriages are the result of carrying of early marriage is also sometimes referred to as forced marriage, because children rarely consent freely, or understand the long-term implications of marrying young. Children may be coerced by their families to marry, or choose marriage themselves if they believe it will make their lives better. Forced marriage also occurs between adults. For these reasons we use the term early marriage. Girls are disproportionately affected and form the majority of child spouses. The younger the child, the greater the danger that marriage poses to their health and well- being. Seventeen per cent of girls in least developed countries are married by their fifteenth birthday and consequently suffer a range of acute negative physical and psychological impacts due to their immaturity. 1) International human rights instruments provide four main protections against early marriage. They: 2) Require the intending parties to exercise „free and full consent‟ in the decision to marry 3) Set the minimum age of marriage at 18, the upper limit of childhood as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4) Call on states to „ban harmful practices,‟ including early marriage 5) Entitle children to special protections, including the right to express their views freely in all matters regarding their welfare; the right to education on the basis of equal opportunity; the right to protection from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, maltreatment or exploitation; and the right to health and access to health services. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) clearly states that “marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending parties", however, Paper ID: NOV161827 363