Romantic relationship in Bangladesh

People in Bangladesh may form romantic relationships through personal contact, family involvement or informal social networks, but the state does not provide a general dating register or a separate legal status for romantic partnerships. The available national evidence does not establish reliable prevalence figures for unmarried dating relationships, cohabitation or LGBTQ+ relationships. Marriage is usually the point at which formal legal rights and duties arise. National figures show substantial early marriage, but they do not measure dating prevalence. Among women aged 20 to 24 in the 2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 47.2% had married before age 18 and 13.4% before age 15; 38.9% of girls aged 15 to 19 were currently married. The Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2022 found a median age of 16.9 years at first marriage and first sexual intercourse among women aged 20 to 49, with 25% reporting first sexual intercourse by age 15 and 63% by age 18. Early marriage is more common in rural, poorer and less educated groups. Under the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017, a minor is a man under 21 or a woman under 18, and a marriage involving at least one minor is child marriage. The exception in section 19 applies only under its stated conditions, including court direction, the child’s best interests and parental or guardian consent. Birth certificates, national identity cards, school certificates and passports can establish age. Suspected cases can be reported orally or in writing to an Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Executive Magistrate, Upazila Women Affairs Officer, Social Welfare Officer, Education Officer, police officer in charge or local-government representative. Child-marriage offences are cognizable, bailable and non-compoundable. Muslim marriages must be registered with a licensed Nikah Registrar. If another person conducts the marriage, the groom generally has to report it within 30 days, followed by registration without delay. Christian marriages may fall under the Christian Marriage Act 1872, Hindu marriages under the Hindu Marriage Registration Act 2012, and the Special Marriage Act 1872 provides a narrower statutory option rather than a general civil-partnership or unrestricted interfaith system. Fees cannot be stated as one nationwide amount from the available facts. Rights and duties within marriage depend on religion, registration, the marriage contract and applicable personal law. Under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, an additional marriage requires prior written permission from an Arbitration Council, and dower becomes immediately payable when the required permission is not obtained. A Muslim talaq requires written notice to the Chairman with a copy to the wife; an Arbitration Council is formed within 30 days, and the divorce generally takes effect after 90 days or later if the wife is pregnant. Muslim divorce registration is handled by a Nikah Registrar, and refusal can be appealed within 30 days. Maintenance and other remedies depend on the circumstances and the responsible authority. The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010 protects a woman or child in a family relationship or shared residence. Depending on the case, an Upazila Women Affairs Officer or Enforcement Officer, police or a court can be involved, and legal remedies can include protection, accommodation or compensation. Among ever-married women aged 15 and older, the 2024 Violence Against Women Survey recorded lifetime intimate-partner violence at 75.9%, violence in the previous 12 months at 48.7%, controlling behaviour at 67.6%, physical violence at 47.3% and sexual violence at 29.0%. These figures do not measure unmarried dating relationships or all genders. Many survivors do not disclose violence: 64.0% told no one, and 7.4% took legal action in the previous 12 months. Legal action was reported by 9.5% of urban survivors and 6.5% of rural survivors. Family pressure, social stigma, concerns about family honour, cost, distrust and the length of proceedings can discourage formal help. Average treatment cost was BDT 2,512 and average legal-action cost was BDT 4,104 in the cited figures, but individual costs vary. Digital abuse can include unsolicited sexual messages, sextortion, threats to share or distribute intimate images and monitoring of phones or messages. Bangladesh Police’s Police Cyber Support for Women assists women online and offline, free of charge and confidentially, through hotline 01320-000888 and can refer cases to police or victim-support services. Police emergency assistance is available at 999, violence against women and children at 109, child support at 1098, and National Legal Aid Services Organisation advice at toll-free 16430. The Directorate General of Family Planning and maternal-health hotline is 16767, and District Legal Aid Offices provide additional local assistance. Ending an informal dating relationship has no standard state procedure. Ending a marriage is different and depends on the applicable religious and legal system. The reviewed statutory pathways do not recognize same-sex romantic partnerships as marriage or civil unions. Penal Code section 377 criminalizes certain carnal intercourse acts against the order of nature, but romantic feelings alone are not automatically an offence. The findings are national; no city or administrative-region differences can be stated without local evidence.