Women take shelter with their children in Shahpori island on the outskirts of Teknaf, Bangladesh, on May 13, 2023, ahead of a cyclone's landfall. (PHOTO / AFP)

DHAKA - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Wednesday said its recent study has revealed a staggering 39 percent surge in child marriage in Bangladesh's highly disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable coastal regions.

The impact of climate change on many coastal communities in Bangladesh includes forced migration, extreme poverty, increased gender-based violence, limited access to education, and food security challenges, the IRC said in a statement.

The IRC has called for increased and sustainable funding for climate change and the urgent collaboration of the government, donors, and non-government to address this compounded crisis

It added that the increase in child marriage can be directly attributed to the increase in disasters such as flooding and cyclones over the last two decades.

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To address these issues, the IRC said it is actively assessing the situation and mobilizing resources to protect children from harm due to climate change and climate-induced disasters.

Hasina Rahman, the IRC Bangladesh director, said, "Today in Bangladesh, half of girls are married before their 18th birthday, while 22 percent are married before the age of 15."

"This situation is, however, more volatile for the girls living in coastal areas, who are facing food insecurity and poverty, irregular rain patterns, rising temperatures, and heightened frequency and intensity of disasters," said the director.

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Against this backdrop, the IRC has called for increased and sustainable funding for climate change and the urgent collaboration of the government, donors, and non-government to address this compounded crisis.