All you should know about Child Marriage

Kaajal Gunputh Kaajal Gunputh Nov 8, 2018 1195 0

All you should know about Child Marriage

All you need to know about child marriage

  1. What is child marriage
    Child marriage is a legal marriage or informal union where one or both parties are children under the age of 18. While early marriages are mostly to happen to girls, it is not uncommon for boys to marry before 18 in some countries. More often, a younger girl is married to an older boy or elder man.

Child marriage is illegal in almost all countries, however, laws are rarely enforced in many countries and families and girls are often unaware that such laws exist.
 According to the United Conventions on the Rights of the child, forced and early marriage denies children their right to protection from harmful practices, abuse and exploitation and takes away their right to develop to their fullest. Age of consent varies from country to country and is often below the recommended age of 18 by the United Nations.

 

  1. Where does child marriage happen?

Child marriage cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. It is present in almost every region of the world- from Africa to the Middle East, Asia to Europe and even America, and it is mostly prevalent in Africa and Asia particularly in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. Countries like Mali and Chad also see more than half of all girls married before 18 years old.
There is a strong link between poverty and child marriage. The poorest women and gil in India marry on average four years earlier than the wealthiest and in least developed countries, almost half of the girls marry before reaching adulthood.


In India, the rates are alarming. Half of all child brides come from South Asia out of which one third is from India alone. While there are countries that specify a minimum age for people to marry legally, often cultural and religious factors influence social acceptance of child marriage. For example, in Bangladesh the legal minimum age to marry is 18 years, but the country has over four million child brides because the practice is deeply rooted and largely accepted in the society.

  1. What are the causes of child marriage
    Causes of child marriage are complex and varied, driven by different factors across communities and regions. It is also often motivated by engrained traditions and also poverty.
     
  • Poverty


    Girls are often seen as financial burdens and less valuable than boys. For parents with several child or living in extreme poverty, child marriage is a simple way to help alleviate the desperate economic situation they find themselves in. it is often compared to one less mouth to feed and one less education to fund.
    In communities where dowry ritual is followed, an earlier marriage at a younger age may mean lower expenses.
    Sometimes, girls are married to offset debts, settle conflicts or as a substitute for money. Its like girls are being traded for. There are many ways in which child marriage created economic incentives for young girls to be married off early whether for financial security or gain.
    Poverty is one of the key causes of child marriage and is an ongoing consequence. Sadly the practice traps these girls into a lifetime of economic disadvantage as well as robs their chance to grow, lean and fully realize their potential. Without an education, they are less able to lift out their family out of the vicious cycle of poverty and history repeats.
     
  • Tradition

    Child marriage is also often influenced by norms and beliefs. In some societies, marriage is nothing more than the phase of womanhood.  Once a girl starts menstruating, she is seen as a grown woman and is now ready for marriage. Younger girls are perceived as more submissive and easily shaped as an obedient wife.
    In some places, child marriage is political. Unions are arranged to strengthen or build a bond between two different tribes. Sometimes it’s about family honour to avoid the shame of having an unmarried daughter, or to have a pregnant unmarried daughter- parents choose to marry them earlier to prevent any unwanted pregnancies without a wedlock.
     
  • Education

    Statistics say that girls who aren’t in school face a higher risk of becoming a child bride. Girls with no education are three times more likely to get married before the age of 18 than girls who attended secondary school or higher studies.
    When girls are educated, they develop the knowledge and confidence to make important decisions for themselves including if they want to marry or not.
    Many child brides are force to quit their education due to domestic responsibilities and pregnancies. They have less say in family planning or deciding whether or not they want to bear a child
    .
  • Health

    Early and forced marriages have devastating consequences on the health and development of girls. Sexual activity is encouraged even though she is both physically and emotionally not ready to conceive. Both the mother and the baby are at higher risk of dying during birth. 5,000 women die every year due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth and 99% of these deaths are in developing countries.
    They are often deprived of their sexual and reproductive rights. When married to older man, it can be difficult for them to voice out their needs around issues like contraception, family planning and menstruations. They are more likely to face domestic violence and sexual exploitation in the name of marriage.
     

 

 

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