Major Social Evils Of Child Marriage In Travancore

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

Upper caste women may undergo dramatically different experiences than lower caste women. For example, lower caste women do not practice sati, because it is mostly prevalent among upper caste women. Thus, they may not comprehend how sati may function as a tool of control of female sexuality. On the other hand, upper caste women may not comprehend the experiences of widow-remarriage as practiced by lower caste women. Granted that, Mohanty makes a great point by asserting that it is impossible to analyze and treat Indian women as an ahistorical and monolithic group of people. Indian women are heterogeneous, and significant attention must be given to the components of race, class, imperialism. Furthermore, given their background, many of Western feminists in India were supporters of the colonial government and saw themselves as agents of the civilizing mission. They believed that Indian women were incapable of speaking for themselves, and thus were also incapable of liberating themselves. They disregarded that Indian women were victims of both British imperialism and the patriarchal Indian society, and thus the oppression they faced greatly differed from that of Western women. If anything, western women participated in their

Under Ottoman rule, women “faced legal and social disadvantages”, common to that of previous times. Certain restrictions often forced seclusion and viewing amongst women of all castes. Evidently, women were subordinated to their fathers and husbands in the household (AP world textbook). Likewise, throughout Mughal rule, the position of women, for the most part, faltered, subjecting them to many disadvantages in each sect of life. This came at the hands of patriarchy, polygamy, the practice of Sati (the burning of a widow on her husband’s grave), child marriages, and purdah (the physical seclusion of women in Muslim societies). (Somali, Religious and Social conditions of Society during Mughal Rule) Although low in status, many women in either society gained importance as the dynasty aged and under the rule of specific leaders. For example, this was evident in Akbar’s rule as he even went as far as to outlaw Sati. These contrasting social structures and gender roles all play into their individual history, as well as world history.

Having an uncertain standing in society, many South Asian widows were left without security after their husbands died. The concept of sati was practiced to show a widow’s self-sacrifice and everlasting devotion to her husband. When the colonial British entered India, there were multiple debates about the official definition of sati and what conditions shaped it. Eventually, this debate transformed into whether the practice of sati should still be followed or abolished altogether.

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.

The voluntary practice of Sati, meaning “good women”, was originally linked to Hinduism in 908 CE. Although Sati was not required, about a hundred women a year practiced this custom. Women who burned themselves to death on their husband’s funeral pyres were seen as brave. Furthermore, Sati was said to bring redemption to the dead husband even end the cycle of death and rebirth for the families. Sati represented the traditional repression of women in Hindu India as well as the difficult lives and decisions widows had to face. Although the sacrifice of widows was at its height in the 6th century, it continued through the 14th century and was only abolished in the mid 1800’s (Sati). The caste system in India was the source for societal divides that dominated India. The caste system developed along with Hinduism and it controls everything from who can marry who, what work Indians can do and

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

Parent understand that their girls are a burden and their sons are a gift, and this is what their sons and daughters grow up believing. The dowry placed on girls plays greatly into the sex-selected abortion rate in India. Boys are plainly and simply a better financial investment. Boys will not cost the parents money for marriage, in fact, with a marriage, they are guaranteed to make the parents money. Parents forced with the decision to have a girl and deal with the financial consequences, or abort and hope and pray for better luck in the gender of their child next time around. Quite often they chose the

Women’s need to conform to cultural discrimination under the pressure of society and family to choose boys over girls contributes to the beginning of the gendercide cycle. The violence against females never stops; it is a constant battle against females throughout their lives. There are many causes of this violence that create a never ending cycle. One of the major causes is cultural discrimination. In Indian culture, the boy is valued more than a girl mainly “because parents look to their sons to support them in old age” rather than their daughters (FAQ). According to tradition, once daughters are married, “they do not care for their own parents, but rather their husbands’ parents” (ibid). Therefore, society sees more value in a male over a female. A male can support his family more than

Couples who dare cross the social conventions have to cope with a lot of social pressure within their families and outside. These problems are more acute in the rural areas compared to the urban areas and metropolitan cities. Much depends upon the family background. If parents are educated and enlightened on both sides, things would be easier for the children, who get involved in unconventional relationships. One of the evils of Hindu marriages is the ubiquitous dowry system.

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.

Nothing has "excited the attention of the Europeans than the burning of wives upon the funeral piles of their husbands" (Perera 91). Another important aspect of the act of Sati was that "it became an element in the vindication of British Imperialism . . . and was also used as a moral justification to the Britishers to impose their rule on India" (Perera 92).

     This patriarchal role of males in the Indian family allows for all the power to be placed on the father of the household. This power can be abused which I would assume happens with the children in these families. The oldest male child has the authority to boss around his other siblings, and in the death of his father he then becomes the leader of the household. This could lead to many harsh or unfair ruling by older siblings or by other members of society. This would lead for the younger sibling to have to adjust greatly as they grow into adulthood. These rules that govern Indian household are often strict and are always final. This is accepted by all.

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.

Birth, marriage and death are the standard trio of key events in most people’s lives. But only one, marriage is a matter of choice (Innocenti Digest, 2001). The rights to have a choice were recognized as a principle of law, yet many girls and some boys enter marriage life without any chance of their rights to choose. Childhood and adolescence are usually the greatest years of one’s life. However, the period is cut short when marriage and adult responsibilities come too early as ones practiced early marriage. Early marriage refers to any form of marriage that takes place before a child has reached eighteen. According to Adlakha, Arjun, Mohamed Ayad and Sushil Kumar (1991) early marriage extends a woman’s reproductive span, thereby