“I was supposed to be in school, instead I got married”.
“I was 12 years old when I got married to a man who was twice my age.”
“They told me that the man will provide for the well-being of my family.”
“By the age of 14, I was pregnant and soon was isolated to give birth to a child, when I was one myself.”
Child marriage refers to the marriage of a girl or a boy under the age of 18. While it is common in both genders, it affects girls more inordinately. Each year, about 12 million girls are married before the age of 18, which makes a total of 23 girls every minute and 1 girl every 3 seconds. These marriages strip them of their basic human rights and makes them more prone to domestic abuse and exploitation.
Moreover, child marriages are a conclusion of either economic or social forces as seen in most of the cases. These causes are several as they vary from one society to another. Gender Norms have been found to be a vital cause behind child marriages, as they are more prevalent in the societies which are deeply enrooted with misogynistic and patriarchal norms. Young girls grow up being taught how to serve men and how to silence themselves throughout their oppression. These girls are then shackled to an early marriage since they are considered “easily shaped” according to horrible traditional practices seen in the tribal and rural areas of South Asia. These include watta satta (which means exchanging female family members through marriage), vani or swara (where females in the family are given into marriage in order to end disputes between families, commonly murder disputes) These and many other traditions are the reason why young girls are married off as minors.
An 11-year-old getting married to a 40-year-old in a rural village in Afghanistan
Many parents marry their kids off early due to the lack of provision by them. Getting dowry in return for their children is somewhat labeled as “support” for them. As girls aren’t the financial contributors in most of these cases, they are readily married to alleviate the economic burdens of their family. In addition, laws made for the protection of basic human rights and the child protection laws are not implemented properly or aren’t strong enough to create a major impact in eliminating these practices.
These causes alongside others have created irreversible impacts on the society as a whole. Marriage in early years often causes children to drop out from their schools due to which the illiteracy rate increases, improper nourishment for personality occurs even though it is needed the most. In the case of females, being married early makes them dependent on a man for the rest of their lives and they never learn to be independent. Early marriages also pave way for early pregnancies which is harmful in so many ways. According to a report, girls under 15 are 5 times more likely to die while giving birth, than women in their 20’s. They have a higher risk of pregnancy-related injuries, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. These marriages deprive girls of education and instead of realizing their talents and potentials, they are disempowered by tying a knot with someone who will never let them be independent and hence they get entrapped in a circle of poverty.
A poster showing two children getting married.
While child marriages have huge impacts on girls, it is not rare at all to see a young boy being forced to get married. Boys at a young age aren’t mature and responsible enough to even comprehend the true meaning of “marriage”. When they are married at a young age, they suffer mentally and are not stable enough which causes families and ultimately societies to fall apart.
This issue has a wide nature, it is different from one society to another, which means that it’s solutions should also vary according to the leading cause behind it. The families and tribes practicing child marriages should be aware of its harmful effects on the future generations. However if they still continue to do so, steps by the authorities should be taken against them. Different campaigns can be arranged which will aid in the awareness of the problems these early marriages can cause, alongside their solutions. Considering South Asia has the highest rate of child marriages, the driving force behind child marriages in this area is mainly the lack of education, and traditional practices. Both of which can actually be controlled by proper implementation of child protection laws, and education.
Each year of secondary education reduces the possibility of child marriage by 5% in many countries. This means that the best way to keep children away from these practices is by keeping them in school. This is because going to school and getting quality education paves the road of a brighter future for them as they’ll learn economic and social independence. This leads to the fact that reducing the rate of child marriages will not only empower individuals but it will also allow societies and consequently nations to prosper.
