Child Marriage In Sub-Saharan Africa Analysis

Some girls are bartered into marriage to repay debt or resolve a dispute. And widespread poverty still compels many parents to get their daughters married to avoid the cost of caring for them.

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.

These principles are well-rooted in the culture of many developed countries, but for many regions in Africa these habits constitute a violation of their basic principles. Not to say that in Africa there was no such paradigms. It is true that in some regions of the country side, and especially where the Islam is dominant, premature marriages are a secular practice. But in most African countries, the culturally accepted minimum age for marriage is 18 years. Only after the individual reaches that age, can begin to get prepared to

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

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”.

Arranged marriages demonstrate a violation of people’s rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the basic rights and freedoms that all humans have (“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”). Every person is entitled to these rights which include freedom from torture and the liberty to pursue any life one may desire. Arranged marriages specifically defy an individual’s sexual rights which Amnesty defines as the ability to “make your own decisions about your body and...choose if, when and who to marry” (“Sexual and Reproductive Rights”). Worldwide, many different cultures disregard these basic human rights. Latin America places restrictions on abortions. Women are denied the right to make the choices concerning their own body even in cases of rape. In several countries in Africa, such as Niger and Guinea, countless children work as sex slaves or are forced

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

The old tradition in Nigeria during my grandmother’s time was to get the children married at an early age so they can start having a family of their own. In the north of Nigeria, my mother

"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

Marriage, as a fundamental social and cultural institution and as the most common milieu for bearing and rearing children, profoundly shapes sexual behaviours and practices. It is undeniable that early marriage is a controversial yet hot topic that gets the attention of the professionals across many fields such as economy, psychology and sociology. The age at first marriage variegates across the globe. Being married before the age of 18 has been a social norm in third world countries [refer to Appendix A]. The percentage of women being married before age 18 is estimated from 20 to 50 percent in average in developing countries (Joyce, et al., 2001).

Polygamy is a family system under which a man is married to more than one wife, living together with them at the same time. It is usually ranges between two and four wives in some cultures. This system of marriage is predominatly rampant in many sub-Saharan African countries where a man can marry from one up to four wives if he can afford their domestic needs. However, some men unfortunately may mistakenly put themselves into this type of marriage and eventually get stocked in it where in the end result is usually nothing positive but a negativism, unnecessary jealousy, daily fighting and hatred among wives and between the children whom usually follow the footsteps of their mother despite being from the same dad. Under

Because they are girls, women in third world countries are forced into marriage, forced to give up their education, if they are even lucky enough to receive one in the first place, before they reach the age of 16. They are forced to become mothers, and are forced to be seen as less than the males who control them.

Pregnancy, for most people, is a gift and a blessing. Moreover, mothers tend to start preparing their minds, bodies, and homes for this change way before it happens. In high-income countries, women are widely educated on the responsibilities and risks that come with being pregnant and are given pre-natal help during pregnancy. In fact, these lucky women will also receive the highest quality care during the delivery and post-partum. On the other hand, maternal deaths in these countries are one in 4,900, but in the sub-Saharan Africa area, where poverty is all people know, the death rates are one in 36 births. Those discrepancies are due to gender inequality, socioeconomic differences, and race. The social-conflict framework works best with this topic because of all the mentioned above.

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.

Cultural and socioeconomic factors that reinforce child marriage differ from region to region. Where one lives within a country may strongly influence whether or not she will marry early. In India the highest rates of child marriage is concentrated in five states: Madhya Pradesh at 73%, Andhra Pradesh at 71%, Rajasthan at 68%, Bihar at 67 % and Uttar Pradesh at 64%. The median age of marriage in India is 16.4 years according to the National Family Health Survey. [8]It also found that 65% of girls are married by the time they are 18. There are many reasons why child marriage occurs but they can be put into two general categories. The first one is based on social norms, customs and religion. Virginity in India is very important. If one is raped, it is hard for her to be married. “As Vatsayyana said a couple millennia ago that a virgin bride is important, even if people don’t talk about it openly”.[1] Therefore, the younger the bride the more likely it is that she’ll be a virgin and so marrying off the daughter as young as possible, the faster the end of the parent’s responsibility to keep her a virgin.