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Dateline: June 7

SBS meets Bangladesh's young female surf stars breaking from tradition where marriage is often expected by the age of 18.

Tonight on SBS Dateline meets Bangladesh’s young female surf stars. Can these young women realise their dreams and compete on the international stage, or will family duty hold them back?

Along one of the longest uninterrupted beaches in the world, two young surfer girls paddle out past the break.

The conditions out here are rough and unruly, but these fearless teens cling to their boards, waiting for the perfect wave to ride back to shore.

Here, in the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, Shobe and Ayesha are not your average 13-year-olds.

“Everybody says I live like a boy,” Shobe says.

“I go everywhere wearing a t-shirt.

“I’ve been surfing since childhood, so people are used to seeing me like this”

Girls in Cox’s Bazar are often expected to follow a set path, including working from a young age, marrying early and bearing children.

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

Parents who struggle to earn a steady income often marry off their teenage daughters, despite it being illegal until age 18.

According to UNICEF, 51 per cent of young women in Bangladesh were married before their 18th birthday. 13 million were married before age 15.

Shobe’s older sister was married at 13.

“If my life is the same as my sister’s then it’s worth nothing,” she says.

These girls often come from poorer households and are more likely to miss out on a full education.

But a small surf club has given girls like Shobe a chance to change their fate and do something they love.

“Surfing is…completely intoxicating,” Shobe says.

9:30pm tonight on SBS.

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