Heartbreaking Photos: A 15-year-Old Bride’s Wedding In Bangladesh

Nearly one-third of Bangladeshi girls under 15 are married.

Photographer Allison Joyce documented a 15-year-old bride’s wedding in the city of Manikganj, Bangladesh. The bride, Nasoin Akhter, 15, appears distraught as she is forced to marry Mohammad Hasamur Rahman, 32, more than twice her age.

The powerful series of photos offers a glimpse into what Human Rights Watch calls an “epidemic” of child marriage.

Child marriage in Bangladesh is a persistent problem despite minimum age laws and government vows to curtail the practice.

Nearly one-third of Bangladeshi girls under 15 are married, the highest rate for that age group in the world, according to UNICEF.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced last year that child marriage would end in the nation by 2041, but a recent Human Rights Watch report points out that the government has taken few tangible measures to stop the practice. 

Poverty, poor access to education and cultural traditions help drive the prevalence of child marriage, the report notes. What’s more, Bangladesh’s vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change exacerbates those social problems.

Child brides are at serious risk of abuse and early pregnancy. Girls who are forced into marriage also often have to abandon their education, limiting their future economic security and social well being.