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331On March 7 2010 a special session of the United Nation Commission on the Status of Women was dedicated to child marriages with the support of the governments of Bangladesh Malawi and Canada That session was organized to support All Women All Children movement led by former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki moon The session participants discussed the problems of early marriages and how to avoid them Mereso Kiluso Tanzanian a mother of five and in her twenties who was married at the age of 14 to a violent man who was over 70 testified during the session If we do not take the necessary measures to combat child marriage the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 will not be achieved Child marriage that is people under 18 concerns both boys and girls but is much more common among girls This is a global problem but rates vary considerably between countries and within each country Proportionately and in absolute terms most child marriages take place in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia Marriage before the eighteens affects nearly half of girls in South Asia and over one third of girls in sub Saharan Africa The ten countries with the highest child marriage rates are Niger 75 Chad and Central African Republic 68 Bangladesh 66 Guinea 63 Niger Mozambique 56 Mali 55 Burkina Faso and South Sudan 52 and Malawi 50 In absolute numbers because of the size of the population India has the highest number of child marriages and in this country the bride is a child in 47 of cases The Progress to end this practice have been done in urban areas where families feel that girls have better opportunities for education and employment No girl should be deprived of her childhood her education her health and her aspirations Yet today millions of girls every year marry before they reach the age of majority and so can not exercise their rights says Dr Michelle Bachelet Executive Director of UN Women
Child marriage is increasingly seen as a violation of girls rights because it puts an end to education it prevents the acquisition of professional or life skills it creates a risk of early pregnancy and motherhood even before the girl is physically and psychologically ready It increases the risk of sexual violence by the partner and HIV infection Child marriage is a big deal in our communities said Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda Secretary General of the World Alliance of Christian Women s Unions Early marriage and child marriage annihilate the future of girls They can not study anymore They no longer have the opportunity to choose their partner and have to endure this frustration for the rest of their lives The World Alliance of Christian Women s Unions will present a petition to the Commission on the Status of Women to have the group adopt a special resolution calling for an end to child marriage The signatories believe that by working together Member States and concerned groups can eliminate child marriages by 2030 Although the minimum legal age for marriage is set at 18 in 158 countries laws are rarely enforced because child marriages are enshrined in tradition and social norms The early marriages has several HARMFUL effect as exposed girls to serious health risks related to pregnancy and childbirth and their children are at greater risk of complications from preterm birth