Child Brides
Marriage is considered a beautiful and sacred practice; a bond between two people that cannot be broken. When people think about this beautiful practice many picture people who are older such as adults, but in some countries around the world young children are being forced into marriage. The age at which girls around the world are being married should increase. Laws regarding marriage age should be more heavily enforced to change the status quo of these communities to protect these children.
More than 700 million young girls are forced into marriage (GirlsNotBrides: Child Marriage Around the World). In foreign countries such as Niger (76%), Chad (67%), Guinea (52%), and many more it is very common for a young woman to be forced into marriage (GirlsNotBrides: Child Marriage Around the World). Many of these young women are poorly educated and do not know the rights as a human being they possess. This is a practice that is ongoing, but isn’t impossible to be stopped.
Many people do not realize how much affect being married at a young age can have on someone. These young girls that are being forced into marriage are being hurt, not just physically, but as well as emotionally and sexually. Many of these girls are being abused by people that they should be able to trust, not only that, but they are also being forced into something that they aren’t ready for or just simply don’t want to be a part of. Generally, these young girls are forced to grow up faster than they
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
Kingston, many girls are forced into marriages by being told it is the right thing to do. In summary, underage arranged marriages are very dangerous and unfair to the children who are placed under those circumstances while they haven’t even reached the capacity to comprehend what they want.
As a conclusion, early marriage of girls and boys impairs the realization and enjoyment of virtually every one of their rights. The imposition of a marriage partner on children or adolescents who are in no way ready for married life, and whose marriage will deprive them of freedom, opportunity for personal development, and other rights including health and well-being, education, and participation in civic life. This Presentation can be as a starting-point, drawing attention to a practice that has been neglected by both women’s and children’s rights campaigners in recent decades. It is hoped that it will provide an incentive for a campaign to prevent early marriage and end the silent misery of millions of girls in many countries around the world, to open up new horizons for them, and contribute to the development of policies, programs and advocacy to bring this
Agreements such as this can lift the burden of paying for a girl’s education, thus making it easier for parents to choose to educate their children, instead of marrying them off. In rural areas of underdeveloped countries, the practice of child marriage is on the rise due to the fact that most of the girls being married off are not educated enough to know there are laws in place to protect them. Being oblivious of their rights, children are being married off before they are able to comprehend the harm brought upon them. Having knowledge of laws that protects them from being married before they are ready can assist them in taking steps to prevent the occurrence of early marriage. Educating young girls about their rights is one way of ensuring that one child may be kept safe from having to face the atrocities of marriage with mostly older men. We can accomplish this by setting up organizations that can go to different villages and provide information on how marriage at a young age can have negative effects on the health of young wives. These organizations could even work with the government to provide shelters for girls who are trying to escape the wickedness of early marriage.
I also agree that the getting the law passed in a male dominated country. In addition to this, religion plays a big role in this problem will not be a simple task. One way is to start by raising awareness of this issue, and most importantly the girls and boys need to be educated about sex education. According to Girls Not Brides, governments should demonstrate their commitment to end child marriage by developing strong laws and policies, and putting the money and institutions in place to enforce
While the short story and article I chose have a lot of similarities, one contrasting detail is that My Father Writes to My Mother is about a scenario where someone went against the crowd, yet Every 7 seconds, a new child bride is solely about informing the reader how poorly some women are treated. My Father Writes to My Mother describes the simple act of writing a letter as, “a commonplace enough event in any other society, but which was unusual to say the least with us…” and then goes on to tell us that Tahar writing his wife was the ‘daring’ and ‘unusual’ event spoken of. This shows how bold of a move it was for someone to go against their culture and step outside of the box. The article about child brides does not give an example of someone
Child marriage is one of the major concerns when it comes to women in undeveloped countries. Many of them are married off at a very young age. Education gives a woman the power to make their own decisions and gives them an identity. By marrying of at a young age many are forced to start a family and live under someone else’s authority. Lack of education limits freedom and the basic knowledge of living which now
"More than 200,000 children have been involved in a child marriage in the last fifteen years," says Chris Baynes, an author at The Independent. When the words "child marriage," are said, I used to think of a third world country. I think of someone that I thought of as "uncivilized" or as "inhumane," but many people, including me, would be shocked to know that child marriage happens right here in our "civilized" United States. On top of the fact that it generally happens here, it is completely legal in twenty-five states! The other twenty-five states have minimum ages but the loopholes that those laws have are astonishing. Many of the laws loopholes, according to Nurith Aizenman, the writer of "The Loopholes That Allow Child Marriage in the
This is definitely a form of oppression and causes heavy conflict in young girls’ lives. Aware of the lack of rights these women face, one might ask themselves, if lack of freedom and denial of basic rights is still a problem in many cultures, what could possibly be a solution to the conflict? Several experts and organizations have invested into finding a solution, and most agree that is is possible to stop the refusal of human rights for girls. Many of the proposed solutions begin with empowering girls, and valuing women more in society, with the next step being to support girls and providing services for
If the young woman or man refuses to go through with the marriage, they are instantly exiled from their family and they are looked down upon by their community as a disappointment. Amina was set to be married at the age of 18 to a man she had never met. Amina refused the forced marriage because she still wanted to study and have a life of her own. As a result, Amina lost all of her relationships with her family and community and was forced to live on her own and become independent (Vidal, 2016).
Child brides are a little voiced problem that occur around the world. Fourteen million girls become child brides every year, a number that is increasing due to the growing populations of countries where child marriage is common (Fisher). I chose to focus on child brides specifically in Africa and the Middle East due to the high instances of child marriages in those parts of the world. In my research I also found that child brides are very common in South Asia and South America as well. In Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, and Nepal over half of girls are married before they turn eighteen (Fisher).This is largely due to traditional tribal practices, cultural norms, and an overall lack of education.
In many societies, marriage is a celebrated institution commemorating the union between two consenting adults and the beginning of their lives together. However, this experience and celebration is different for the millions of girls around the world who are forced to wed while still children, some not even yet teenagers.
“An immigrant to the U.S. took her American-born, 14-year-old daughter to a gynecologist because the teenager claimed to have had sexual relations with a classmate. The mother wanted a hymenoplasty for her daughter to ensure she would appear to be a virgin. Unknown to her, she had been promised in marriage to a Yemeni man” (Kopelman). Child marriage is when a child or minor is married to another child or older person. The majority of the time girls are the ones who are married off, and they are often married off to men three times their age. America, believe it or not, is one the countries that still have, and allows child marriage even in modern time. The state of South Carolina has one of the lowest marriage age starting at fourteen. The marriage age for the state of South Carolina in the past was 13 if the young female was found to be pregnant. Many states require parents to sign off for their teenage children to be married, but the parents are sometimes the only one who gives consist to the marriage.These laws make marriage at a young age more difficult without a parent’s consent, but often times that is not enough to stop child marriage. Child marriage is a concern for many countries across the world. Child marriage is wrong because the child is being forced to marry, the child experiences abuse, and the child too young to make life-altering decisions.
Child marriage is a violation of children’s human rights and often involves physical, emotional, financial, sexual or psychological pressure and abuse (Levesque 1999). Approximately 14 million children as young as 8 years of age fall victim to child marriages worldwide each year, robbing them of their childhood, education and future dreams (Quinell 2015). A study conducted by the ‘National Children’s and Youth Law Centre’ identified over 250 cases of child marriages in Australia over 24 months (Jelenic & Keeley 2013). The study confirmed that over 15 Australian children are being sent overseas each year for a forced
Babies born from adolescent girls face an extremely higher chance of death than when born from a mother that is 20 to 24 years old. Pregnancy in young girls can also cause drastic changes to their body, as most of their bodies are not physically ready for this type of lifestyle. Thus, a woman giving birth whose body is not physically prepared can result in death among girls’ ages 15 to 19. Three million unsafe abortions occur every year among girls aged 15 to 19; this contributes to maternal deaths and long term health problems ("Adolescent Pregnancy." WHO. Web. 28 Oct. 2015). The majority of these pregnancies happen when girls aged fewer than 15 are forced into marriage. “82 million girls in developing countries who are now between the ages of 10 and 17 will be married before their 18th birthday.”("Why Invest In Adolescent Girls." Clintin Global Initiative. Web. 28 Oct. 2015). The impact early marriage has on young girls is huge, as it denies them an opportunity to grow and empower themselves. They are forced to be under the control of the man and his way of life, this includes sexual activity at an extremely early age. It prevents any sense of their self worth and ability to form their own views on different aspects of life. Girls so young of age are not physically, mentally or psychologically ready for the task of being married. This does not give adolescent girls the capability to