Selim Reza is 30 years old and is a small trader. His wife, Khadiza Khatun, is 19. The age gap between them is therefore 11 years.

Khadiza was married off as a teenager four years ago. The couple was seen on 3 May in Ghorjan Union of Chauhali upazila in Sirajganj, when Selim Reza visited a BRAC health clinic with his wife, who was then pregnant for the third time. At that time, Selim Reza disclosed their ages to this correspondent.

The Char (riverine) area has a high prevalence of child marriage among girls aged 14 to 16. In some cases, the age gap between adolescent brides and their husbands exceeds 10 years, while in other cases it ranges between three and four years.

For example, the motorcycle driver Hridoy, whom this correspondent travelled with from Ghorjan char to the river ghat, is four years older than his wife Morium.