, Oct. 21 -- State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has emphasised the need to address underlying socio-economic factors, including poverty, social norms, school dropout rates and limited opportunities for girls, to end child marriage.

During a recent dialogue with UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, Shama also discussed gender-based vulnerabilities arising from climate change, gender-based violence, including online violence against women, and juvenile delinquency.

She underscored the Government's commitment to improving the quality of education and progressively increasing investment in education to 5% of GDP.

Nearly half (47.2 per cent) of women aged 20 to 24 in Bangladesh were married before the age of 18, ac...