The phrase “climate change” bring to mind melting glaciers, rising sea levels, endangered coastal areas and animals, even US President Donald Trump’s opposition to the phenomenon.

In Bangladesh, it is linked to child marriages.

The documentary Hidden Connection, by Take Part and the Thomson Reuters Foundation shows how flooding is indirectly pressuring many in the coastal country to marry off their daughters at an early age.

The film follows the stories of two girls named Razia, 14 and Brishti, 13, who migrate to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, after their homes, schools and crops have been submerged by the rising sea levels.

With the cost of living in the city being high, their families struggle to get jobs, and social and financial insecurities deepen. Climate-induced displacement leaves them no option but to compromise on housing and education.

Hidden Connections shows how, in these circumstances, dowry becomes the most decisive factor behind child marriage. The film suggests that dowry payments may increase as a girl gets older. As for sons, early marriage is a source of quick income.

Even if the family resists the practice of child marriage, the fear of “losing the daughter’s honour” becomes a worrying issue. The film features research suggesting that 90% of women in Bangladesh report sexual harassment in public places.

Although the documentary explores the stories of only two girls, it also raises concerns of child marriage becoming a widespread practice.

According to a study by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit at the University of Dhaka, between 50,000 and 200,000 people are estimated to have migrated to the capital to escape climate-related insecurity, many of them young girls.

The raging tidal floods in the Sundarban delta region have also affected coastal areas of West Bengal.

The video below follows the disappeared and disappearing islands on the Bay of Bengal and how rising seas and vagaries of weather are further generating misery for local communities.