In some parts of the world, children are viewed as a wonderful gift from God, yet in others they are seen as a useless burden. To obtain value in a third world country which has absolutely nothing is nearly impossible, especially for a child that is born into a family who sees her as a social and financial catastrophe simply because of her gender. Perhaps this is why in multiple countries; children, specifically girls, are sold off into marriage on an hourly basis. Child marriage has been happening for hundreds of years and can be branched into many forms, including consensual and, the more often used, nonconsensual. Unfortunately, child brides are a repercussion of the families and parents who allow them to be married off so young. In the cultures which a child bride is raised in, a family sees them as nothing except a chance to get some money, the societies these children grow up in view it as tradition making it impossible to try to escape the cycle, and they will never have the chance to escape because of lack of education. Child marriage can be defined as, “ a formal marriage or informal union before age 18, is a reality for both boys and girls, although girls are disproportionately the most affected” (Unicef, 2016) This can include consensual marriage, however it is generally an arranged marriage of some sort. Child brides are generally found within Africa and South America as well as the lower parts of Asia, however child marriage is dominantly found in
Due to political instability, it is difficult for non-government organizations to operate inside the borders of Yemen. Since there is such a small chance for civil society organizations, few are aware of the widespread problem of child marriages (Girls Not Brides, n.d.).
Forced Marriage is most common in impoverished states in Africa, South Asia, and the former Soviet republics. Most adults and children that are unwillingly married, get that way from either their “owner” or their family. The majority of forced marriages are with a child and an adult. Most families sell their children off for money, or to “save” the children from harassment and other things in school. Most children that are married off stop going to school.
In the article, Child Marriages in Sub-Saharan Africa, states the reasons and crazy expectations of child marriages. In Sub-Saharan Africa 39% of girls are married before the age of 18. Child marriages has spread throughout all of Africa. In West and Central Africa 42% of girls are married before age 18 and in Eastern and Southern Africa it is 36% of the girls (Child Marriages in: Sub-Saharan Africa). These number vary throughout the year yet they never drop to zero. It is a mass dilemma to outsiders yet in the depth of Africa, it a tradition that is hard to break. Daughters may be married off due to poverty or fear of safety. It is a custom in which the daughter does not have much control and marriage can be used as a leverage in a heated
Almost 60% of girls are married by 16. Women activists say up to 80 percent of marriages in poor rural areas are either forced or arranged.
Rena Silverman, in his article Millions of Young Girls Forced into Marriage wrote that “Driven largely by ……….family members”. The physical and emotional consequences can be very fatal. Since some decade, people give their daughter in forced marriage, when they are generally poor. This being the Dot is a tradition in a marriage will make the fiancée 's family meet its needs. Forced marriage is to be married for the cattle, food or money, also, for the transmission of belongings. After the husband death, the son of the legal wife will inherit of all his property; which will become her own. For this reason parents give their daughter in marriage to have money to stay alive. Yana T. Child marriage problem: causes and consequences said “Parents who cannot provide …………. to ensure she is supported”.
Child marriage in the States is a serious problem. The current law for child marriage states that you must be at least eighteen years old to marry. However, state laws make exceptions if minors have parental consent. Due to the lack of awareness in this topic thirty-three states and two counties in the U.S. reported that between 2000-2015 there were a total of 170,363 minors that were married. Of which, six were twelve-year-olds, fifty-one were thirteen-year-olds, nine hundred eighty-five was fourteen years old. Not only is this number increasing but it is also alarming. The main reasons for child marriage are poverty, gender inequality, tradition/culture, education, and insecurity. Most of the child marriages happen in rural or backward areas of the country. The main reason for this is poverty for sure. Parents who have a daughter but don't earn as much choose this method to give them a better life. For the boys, the marriage does not take place but poverty triggers child labor. Another main reason behind this activity is gender inequality. Even today there are lots of countries that consider
Girls all over the world are forced into marriages due to financial necessity, tradition and to ensure their future. Most of these girls married are at a young age: “One third of the world’s girls are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15”( “Child Marriage Facts and Figures”). The young ages of those being married reveal how crucial it is to resolve this problem. When child marriage occurs the parents of the bride usually chose the groom for their daughters; and these grooms can be three times older than the young brides. Some children are brought into the world of marriage at the of 8 or sometimes less depending on their cultural views. The following can be used to help reduce the impact of early
Child marriage is a marriage that occurs between two people where one or two of the partners is under 18. While boys are also married under the age of 18, girls far outnumber boys in child marriages. It is usually forced and occurs often to girls who are ages 12 to16 years old[2]. The husband is also often several years older than his wife, sometimes even
Early marriage affects millions of children through the world. It is widely practiced in the countries of South Asia where every year millions of girls-preteens and teens- become the wives of older men. Young girls are married when they are still children and as a result are denied fundamental human rights. Early marriage compromises their development and often results in early pregnancy and social isolation, with little education and poor vocational training
You can stop this! We can’t lose any more of our girls to become scapegoats or carry our burdens for someone else. Religion, culture, lineage. These are the three main words used to justify this atrocity that is child marriage. I passionately argue that child marriage needs to cease and that we need to fight to terminate it.
We cannot just condemn people involved in child marriages as cruel monsters—it is much a much more complex issue based upon ancient customs, poverty, and an overall lack of education. Cultures must evolve to understand that child marriages are dangerous and improper, and that women are equal to and independent of men. I have also learned that the issue of child brides is not widely known and that there are few books dedicated to the topic to be easily found. Future research I would be interested in about child brides would include answering the questions: What can be done to help educate people about the risks of early marriage and thus end the practice? What are the psychological effects of early marriage? How many child brides are readily accepting of their marriages? Are there places for wives escaping abusive marriages go? Why does early marriage so often occur in cultures that practice Islam? Where does the obsession with virginity come from and why does it
“GIRLS NOT BRIDES IS A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP OF MORE THAN 600 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS COMMITTED TO ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE AND ENABLING GIRLS TO FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL.” (brides, 2016)This NGO is trying to help prevent children from having to marry. A child bride is defined as a girl who is married or in a union before the age of 18 years. One of the countries with the highest rates of child brides is Niger at 78 percent of females reporting by population being married before the age of 18 years. India has he highest number of child brides at 10,063,000 girls married before the age of 18 years.
To begin, poverty and limited education are only two of the numerous factors which influence the existence of child marriage today. Many parents in the undeveloped world find marrying their daughters off at a young age is quite beneficial for them to survive economically. This is due to the fact it results in one less person to feed, educate and cloth, showing how desperate times lead to desperate
“Like a rat getting married to an elephant,” said an old man, describing what he sees daily in India, where child marriages are common. United Nations Children 's Fund (UNICEF) defines a child marriage as a “formal marriage or an informal union before age 18.” Child marriages are a reality for both sexes, although girls have an unreasonably higher rate. It is a widespread issue that commonly leads to a life stripped of advantages and aspirations. In today’s world, more than 700 million women were married as children (UNICEF). Nations, such as India, Chad, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and Mexico have a common distinction from countries who ban child marriages: they are either economically unstable, do not provide sex education, or support a
According to a study determined by UNICEF, Niger has the highest rate of child marriage in the world. Countless Nigerien girls are taken out of school and married off every year, and can legally get married off at the age of just 15 with 75% of girls getting married before their eighteenth birthday (UNICEF). Activists sat that girls as young as seven are sold as brides in Niger. Across the globe, we see these rates are highest in this particular region, and it makes us wonder why it’s happening mostly here. One idea can be that since poverty is such a huge drive in an area like