Case Study: Bangladesh – Transforming the lives of young people

This case study follows three health journeys of young people who have come to access Link Up services.

Bangladesh remains a low HIV prevalence country. A total of 3,674 cases of HIV have been registered, however, the estimated number of people living with HIV is around 9,500.1 Social and economic factors could trigger a dramatic rise in the number of new HIV infections unless appropriate strategies and actions are urgently taken.

Child marriage is widespread in Bangladesh: 11% of young adolescent girls (aged 10-14) and 46% of young people aged 15-19 are married. In rural areas, 85% of girls are married by the age of 16. Often the husbands are much older, which puts them in a position of control over the girls’ sexual and reproductive health. This case study follows three health journeys of young people who have come to access Link Up services.

This article was written as the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, before we changed our name to Frontline AIDS.