child mariage

SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHILD MARRIAGE: ( Justin, this could be your title.)

It is difficult to believe that in the 21st century, over 10 million child brides are forced into unfair marriages every in countries such as Nepal, Niger and India.
There is no doubt that this repulsive custom needs to be abolished through education, awareness and enforcement of universal laws. Changing a culture requires time and although I am far from convinced this can be done by 2030, there are already signs of improvement with the shift towards later marriages. The problem we will be faced with in trying to eliminate child marriages is that they tend to happen in rural areas and poor countries and unfortunately, poverty is on the rise around the globe.
By writing articles such as the one you published, we are awakening our young adolescent and making them realize how lucky they are to have the opportunity to gain life experience through school, work, activities etc. We have a chance to receive and education and should pass it on to those who could benefit from it too.
Any educated mind could not agree to child marriage which undermines so many rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, such as the right to protection against all forms of exploitation.

A girl child is still a burden to her parent. More horrible and pitiable is that a woman supervisor’s arm is cut off for investigating child marriages. The only way to eradicate such evil customs is to spread proper education among the masses because education brings consciousness and leads to change.
This female is one of the 10 million child brides forced into unfair marriages every year.
Currently, 60 million child brides are married to men twice their age or older. Some of them are no more than four years old themselves.
The devastating impact of child marriage is far too high for society to continue to overlook. Forced child marriage is a dangerous abuse issue, which breaches human rights.
Officially, all humans have the right to decide upon marriage, why do these girls not?
The majority of child brides will endure rape, violence and emotional scarring. Pregnancies are inevitable, and occur before the female is neither, emotionally or physically prepared, making childbirth the dominant cause of death in 15- to 19-year olds. Hopefully, the immoral, inhumane prospect of child marriage can be destroyed with education and enforcement of universal law.

For many millions of young people, adolescence is now a critical passage in which they gain life experience through schooling, job training, work experiences, community activities, youth groups and relationships. A majority also have their first sexual experiences during the adolescent years.

Despite a shift towards later marriages in many parts of the world (see below), 82 million girls in developing countries who are now aged 10 to 17 will be married before their 18th birthday.(6) In some countries, the majority of girls still marry before age 18. These include: 60 per cent in Nepal, 76 per cent in Niger and 50 per cent in India.(7)
Factors perpetuating early marriage include poverty, parental desire to ensure sexual relations within marriage, a lack of educational or employment opportunities for girls, the sense that girls’ main value is as wives and mothers, and dowry systems. Girls who become pregnant may face extreme pressure from families and communities to marry.
Early marriage violates a number of girls’ human rights (see Box 7) and vastly increases the risks to girls’ and infants’ health and opportunities.
Early marriage of girls undermines a number of rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child:
• The right to education (Article 28).
• The right to be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, including sexual abuse (Article 19) and from all forms of sexual exploitation (Article 34).
• The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health (Article 24).
• The right to educational and vocational information and guidance (Article 28).
• The right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas (Article 13).
• The right to rest and leisure, and to participate freely in cultural life (Article 31).
• The right to not be separated from their parents against their will (Article 9).
• The right to protection against all forms of exploitation affecting any aspect of the child’s welfare (Article 36).

46% of girls under 18 are married in South Asia; 38% in sub-Saharan Africa; 29% in Latin America and the Caribbean; 18% in the Middle East and North Africa; and in some communities in Europe and North America too.
Despite a decline in the overall proportion of child brides in the last 30 years, the challenge persists, particularly in rural areas and among the poorest. If present trends continue, the number of girls who will marry by their 18th birthday will climb towards 150 million in the next decade.
The data is not very encouraging and everyone must become involved in protecting girls against this harmful practice.