There is a dangerous oversimplification creeping into our public discourse in Bangladesh: the idea that if teenagers are old enough to feel attraction or engage in relationships, they are somehow ready for marriage. This argument is not just flawed, it is deeply harmful.

Marriage is not merely about romance or sexual activity. In our society, it is a complex, lifelong institution shaped by family control, economic pressure, and rigid gender expectations. It brings with it responsibility, power dynamics, and irreversible consequences. To place that burden on a 15- or 16-year-old is to fundamentally misunderstand what both adolescence and marriage mean.

At that age, a person is still in the process of becoming. Emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually, they are developing their sense of self. In Bangladesh, this is also the most critical phase for education.

Secondary school, college, skill-building—these are the years that determine whether a girl will stand on her own feet or remain dependent for life. Marriage interrupts that process. A girl who is married at 15 is not just entering a household; she is exiting her future.