CHILD MARRIAGE

“On October 30^th 2008, police in Pakistan raided a child marriage and arrested 2 men on suspicion of organizing the wedding of their two children to end their families’ feud. In addition, a marriage registrar in the Nazimabad area near Karachi claimed that a 4 year old girl and a 7 year old boy were being wedded unlawfully”

When I was 10, my parents arranged for me to marry in the forest. They pretended it was just a party. But it was a wedding and they sent me away. My mother never told me that I was going to be married. They came and took me by force. I cried but it didn’t make any difference”

-Child bride aged 10 – 

WHAT IS CHILD MARRIAGE?

Child / Early marriage refers to any marriage of a child younger than 18 years old, in accordance to article of the convention on the Right of the child. While child marriage affects both sexes, girls are dis-proportionally affected as they are the majority of the victims.

Tradition, Religion and Poverty continue to fuel the practice of child marriage, despite its strong association with adverse reproductive health outcomes and the lack of education of girls.

Poverty is a critical factor contributing to child marriage and a common reason why parents may encourage a child to marry. A young girl be regarded as an economic burden and her marriage to a much older man is seen as solution to their problems.

 It is a form of arranged marriage in which the parents of two children from different families arrange a future marriage. In this practice, the individuals who become betrothed often don’t meet one another until the wedding ceremony which occurs when they are both of a marriageable age. When they grow up, they have to marry the person selected by their parents and can’t fall in love with another. But things like that have happened in many countries.

Today, child marriage is usually only practiced in countries cultural practices and traditions of child marriage still have a strong influence.   

AFRICA

In many tribal systems, a man pays a bride price to the girl family in order to marry her. In many parts of Africa, this payment, in cash or other valuables, decreases as a girl gets older. Even before puberty, it is common for a married girl to leave her parents to be with her husband.

Early marriage is cited as a “Barrier for continuing education”

UNITED STATES

Laws regarding child marriage vary throughout the United States, through generally children who are 16 and over 16 may marry with parental consent. Under 16s generally require a court order in additional to the parental consent.

SOUTH ASIA

South Asia has the highest prevalence of child marriage than any other region in the world. In 2009, 49% of women had been married prior to the age of 18.

INDIA

In an effort to curb the practice of child marriages, the states of Rajastan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karanataka, ans Himachal Pradesh have passed  laws that mandate the registration of all marriages in order to make it a valid marriage. However, mass marriages that involve children are frequently ignored by authorities. 

FORCED MARRIAGES

A forced marriage is defined as a marriage “conducted without the valid consent of one or both parties and is a marriage in which duress – whether physical or emotional” is a factor. It is believed that any child marriages constitutes a forced marriage, in recognition that even if a child appears to give their consent, anyone under the age of 18 is not able to make a fully informed choice whether or not to marry.

Young girls maybe encouraged to marry older men, due to the perception that another men will be able to act as a guardian against behavior deemed immoral and inappropriate.

CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD MARRIAGE

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

It is a huge responsibility for a young girl to become a wife and mother and because girls are not adequately prepared for these roles, this heavy burden has a serious impact on their psychological welfare, their perceptions of themselves and also their relationship.