Rani washes her face on March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. Rani, who is now 16, was under pressure to marry a boy when she was 14-years-old despite the reluctance of Rani and her father, Abdul. When the boy's family, who are politically connected in the area, discovered the relationship, they insisted for the couple to get married. The boy threatened to kill himself while his family said they would kidnap her if she did not agree. The news had spread and arrangements were made after a woman's affairs officer got involved. Two years after the incident, Roni reflects and says, “I lost faith in men. Men can love women but they're not capable of respecting women. For our society for girls to leave the house and talk to boys, it's unacceptable. People gossip and start saying bad things about the girl”. She said the harassment was so bad that she can't walk around her village without wearing a burka. “If I go out without it on sometimes boys and men make rude comments to me, they use really bad words that I can't repeat out loud. If even one corner of my scarf is out of place then boys make bad comments. It happens to my friends all the time”. Rani now spends her time studying and dreams of being a doctor someday. The Bangladesh parliament approved a law last week that permits girls under age 18 to marry under special circumstances, with permission from their parents and a court without a minimum age for these marriages. Human Rights Watch called the move a “devastating step backward for the fight against child marriage in Bangladesh” as the country has the highest rate of child marriage in Asia, and ranks one of the top in the world with 52 percent of the girls married before age 18, and 18 percent married before age 15. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla's 2 month old baby sleeps on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. 17-year-old Meghla married her 30-year-old husband, Liton, during an arranged marriage in 2015, while she was 15. The marriage was against the Bangladesh law at the time so Meghla's father forged her birth certificate, so she would be old enough for the marriage to be officially registered. Two months ago, Meghla gave birth to a baby girl, the next generation to the line of underage marriages in her family. Meghla's mother had married when she was 16-years-old and her grandmother was married when she was age 14. The age difference is good because I'm young and he can help guide me in life. If a girl is more than 20 and unmarried then she and her family are sexually harassed. When a girl is out with her husband, men won't dare harass her. When a girl turns down a boys dating proposals he will gossip about her and destroy her reputation. No one bothers to investigate if the gossip is true or not. It creates a huge problem for the girl and her family. That's why girls marry early here,Ó Meghla said. Despite having a husband, several boys who used to harass Meghla continued and threatened to kidnap her. Meghla had dreamed of being an engineer but since the accidental pregnancy, she has doubts in even going to university after graduation. Despite Liton's encouragement for Meghla to pursue a university degree, she forgoes her dream to bear the responsibilities as a mother. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla holds her baby on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani ties her scarf around her face before leaving her home to take a school exam March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla sits with her husband Liton on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani poses for a photo on March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla talks on the phone as she holds her 2 month old baby on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. 17-year-old Meghla married her 30-year-old husband, Liton, during an arranged marriage in 2015, while she was 15. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani stands outside a school before sitting for an exam March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla does her hair on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla poses for a photo with her baby and her husband, Liton, on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani studies for an exam on March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani poses for a photo with her father Abdul, and mother Pori, on March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani (blue scarf) walks with a friend with her father following on a bicycle to catch a rickshaw to take a school exam March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani (blue scarf) walks with a friend to catch a rickshaw to take a school exam March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Rani rides home with her father on the back of his bicycle on March 6, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. Rani, who is now 16, was under pressure to marry a boy when she was 14-years-old despite the reluctance of Rani and her father, Abdul. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla (in red scarf) hangs out with her friends March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla poses for a photo with her baby and her husband, Liton, on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla rocks her 2 month old baby on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla sits with her baby and her husband, Liton, on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla sits with her husband Liton on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla does her hair on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla does her makeup while her husband Liton sits on the bed on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla walks with her baby and her husband, Liton, on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)





Meghla (in pink) looks on as her mother feeds her baby while her sisters and grandmother look on, on March 7, 2017 in Khulna division, Bangladesh. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)