UNICEF cites child marriage on a Bangladesh visit

On 20 October 2026, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called for investment in children in Bangladesh after a three-day visit. The visit included families in Korail, which UNICEF calls Dhaka's largest informal settlement, and Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar.

Russell urged an end to child marriage and continued schooling for girls, delivery on the government's commitment to invest five percent of gross domestic product in both education and health, and protection of learning for Rohingya and host-community children. She said she met a 14-year-old girl named Bushra, and that community leaders at a UNICEF-supported child protection hub had worked with Bushra's father to stop an early marriage.

The Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025 says 47.2 percent of women aged 20 to 24 were married before age 18. The UNICEF release says child marriage drives girls out of school and fuels early pregnancy. It calls for girls to complete secondary school, and for loopholes in the national law that permit child marriage to be addressed.

Russell met Shama Obaed Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. UNICEF said she expressed appreciation for the government's commitment to increase the budget for education and health, and noted the importance of turning those promises into action. She said budgets reflect priorities, and that investing in children's education, health, nutrition, and protection is investing in Bangladesh's future.

In Cox's Bazar, Russell visited a UNICEF-supported learning center and heard from students and teachers. She appealed to the international community to continue support for the refugees and the host communities. The release says that as humanitarian funding declines, sustained international support is needed to protect essential services for refugee and host-community children.