The climate crisis is robbing Bangladesh’s girls of their futures 

I often reflect on Nelson Mandela's words: "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." Perhaps there is no better test of this than how a society treats its girls.

During a recent visit to Satkhira in southwestern Bangladesh, I met Tania, a 17-year-old who wants to return to school.

Tania's school was four kilometres from her home, a walk she took every day. In monsoon, flooded roads and thick mud made it nearly impossible to go to school regularly. She and her sister stayed at home most of the time. It was during one such monsoon that their parents arranged their marriages. Tania was just 14 at the time.

Neither marriage lasted. "We both later got divorced because of dowry; we couldn't meet our in-laws' financial expectations," she told me.

Her sister also returned with a four-year-old son. Their father, who earns a living by fishing, now has another person to look after in an already struggling family. Tania, meanwhile, hopes to resume the education she left behind.

One in 10 girls surveyed for Plan International's global State of the World's Girls (SOTWG) report said they had married before the age of 18, while 36% observed an increase in child marriage in their communities following climate-related disasters. One in 10 also reported experiencing an unintended pregnancy following a climate-related event, while 33% observed an increase in unintended pregnancies in their communities.

When floods disrupt a girl's education

Tania's story stayed with me not as a story of child marriage or dowry. I could not help thinking about the flooded roads that kept her away from school and how a disruption that might appear temporary became part of a much more permanent change in her life.

The floods did not, on their own, lead to her marriage. But they exposed her to circumstances in which existing social expectations and economic pressures changed her life's trajectory. Climate change increasingly acts as a force making these vulnerabilities worse.

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in girls' education. According to BANBEIS (2024), girls constitute more than half of students at both primary and secondary levels. This is an achievement we must recognise.

Enrolment tells us little about how long they will be able to remain in classrooms or make informed decisions about what happens next in their lives. For many girls, access to education remains fragile, particularly when families face economic hardship or communities are repeatedly affected by floods, cyclones and river erosion.

How climate shocks deepen existing inequalities

Child marriage continues to affect around one in two girls in Bangladesh before the age of 18. The reasons are complex, rooted in poverty, social norms, concerns about girls' safety and the limited opportunities available to them.

Climate-related shocks aggravate these pressures. When families have their entire homes and belongings washed away by a cyclone or flash flood, marrying off a daughter may come to be seen as a way of easing the household burden or securing her future. The consequences for the girl herself may receive far less consideration.

Plan International's global State of the World's Girls (SOTWG) report 2026 reinforces these concerns.

One in 10 girls surveyed said they had married before the age of 18, while 36% observed an increase in child marriage in their communities following climate-related disasters. One in 10 also reported experiencing an unintended pregnancy following a climate-related event, while 33% observed an increase in unintended pregnancies in their communities.

For girls like Tania, the loss of education is part of the experience. Early marriage can also have serious implications for their sexual and reproductive health. A girl who marries at 14 may have little understanding of contraception, pregnancy-related health risks or the nutrition her body needs.

Even when she has this information, she may not have the power to act on it. Decisions about contraception and when to have children are often shaped by her husband and family. Early pregnancy can carry additional health risks, which may become more serious when medical advice or care is inaccessible.

When climate disasters cut off healthcare

I was reminded of this when I met Sathi, who explained that during periods of heavy rain, floods or cyclones, health workers cannot reach remote communities. She also shared her experience of losing her pregnant mother when she was much younger.

Her mother needed emergency medical support, but the nearest clinic was 12 kilometres away. Due to the rain and muddy roads, the journey could take up to three hours, and the family could not afford the costs involved. Despite the availability of a health facility, climate-related disruptions made access difficult as roads became impassable.

Sathi's two elder sisters were both married as children. Their pregnancies were difficult, leaving them very weak, and their children were malnourished. The crisis was compounded by a lack of clean water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

Women and girls in coastal communities, where both surface water and groundwater are saline, frequently experience harsh skin conditions and urinary tract infections due to a lack of clean drinking water, menstrual hygiene products and awareness.

The intersection of climate change, child marriage and sexual and reproductive health difficulties, rarely featured in conversations about climate change, has now become impossible to ignore.

Girls must be part of climate adaptation

Climate change does not create all these inequalities. They existed before the climate crisis became so urgent. But it can deepen them, making it harder for girls who are already vulnerable to recover from a setback. With so many challenges to overcome, girls living at the forefront of the climate crisis cannot be overlooked in discussions on climate financing and adaptation.

Nine in 10 girls surveyed globally in Plan International's State of the World's Girls report 2026 said climate-related events placed serious pressure on their families' survival, health and stability. Girls from minority communities faced even greater disadvantages, being nearly three times as likely to report an unintended pregnancy and more than twice as likely to face pressure to marry young.

Much of our attention understandably goes towards protecting homes, infrastructure and livelihoods from floods and cyclones.

These investments are essential. But what happens to a girl whose school remains inaccessible for weeks? What support is available to a family that has lost its livelihood and is struggling to feed its children? Can an adolescent girl obtain confidential, appropriate healthcare during an emergency? And what happens to girls who have already left school and now want to return?

These questions belong in discussions about climate adaptation and financing just as much as embankments, shelters and livelihood recovery do. If we fail to consider them, we risk rebuilding communities without addressing the inequalities that leave some of their members more vulnerable than others.

When I think back to Tania, I am struck by the fact that she is only 17 and is already trying to reclaim an opportunity she lost at 14. Her wish to return to education is a reminder that a girl's ambitions do not necessarily disappear when her opportunities are taken away. But it should not be left to her determination alone to overcome the barriers that stand in her way.

I often return to Mandela's words because they remind us that the measure of a society lies in how it treats those with the least power to protect themselves.

No girl's future should be decided by a flooded road, a lost livelihood or the belief that marriage is her best available option. If we are committed to building a resilient country, we must ensure that girls are not left to bear the consequences of crises they did not create.

Kabita Bose is the country director of Plan International Bangladesh. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.