Child marriage is also indicative of the levels of development of a region or country and is generally conducted between very young girls and older men. In many parts of the world child marriage is a gratification for overcoming the family’s financial and social needs.
Causes of early marriage:
Early marriage can arise due to a number of reasons such as these:
To raise the economic and social status
Religious hurdles and barriers
Gender bias promotes early marriage of girls
Lack of education
Myths and misconceptions about early marriage
Pressures from older members of the family and community
The notion that early pregnancy leads to larger families and hence providing for heirs to the throne
Some communities regard their girl children as a burden and think of getting rid of them by marrying them off early in a patriarchal society
Harmful effects of early marriage:
Early marriage can cause severe problems like the following:
Psychological and emotional stress like forced sexual relations, denial of freedom and personal development as household chores now become a priority.
Denial of personal development and education.
Maturity levels become an issue as the little girl is now expected to play the role of a mother.
Girl children undergo severe health problems like pregnancy and childbirth.
Girl brides are also involved in early childhood care.
Threat to contracting sexually transmitted diseases increases when girl children are exposed to such an environment.
As girl children are still vulnerable and submissive, they can be subject to the atrocities of domestic violence and abandonment.
Mental and emotional stress in girl brides is high