Essay Example on Child marriage which has been around for Centuries

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Child marriage which has been around for centuries is a deeply rooted complex problem wich is deep seated in gender inequality tradition and poverty It is most common in rural and poor areas where girls perspectives are limited In many cases these marriages are arranged by parents girls do not have a word to say Poor families marry their daughters at a young age so they have fewer children to feed dress and educate In some cultures the price that the potential husband is willing to pay to have a young wife is a significant incentive for parents Families may marry their young children under social pressure from the community For example in some cultures it is believed that marrying girls before puberty will bring a blessing to the family In some societies families believe that early marriage will protect young girls from sexual assault and abuse and will ensure that they will not be disgraced by an out of wedlock pregnancy In addition many families marry their daughters early because that is the only possibility they know Child marriage is an appalling human rights violation that deprives girls of their education health and future says Dr Babatunde Osotimehin Executive Director of UNFPA A child who gets married can not blossom since many parents and communities want the best for their daughters we need to work together in order to end child marriage Girls who is get marry young are more exposed than others to partner violence and sexual abuse intricacy of pregnancy and childbirth are the main cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19 years Women who marry later and who are pregnant after teenage years are more likely to stay healthy and better educated and can look forward to a better life for themselves and their families says Dr Flavia Bustreo Assistant Director General of the World Health Organization in charge of Family Women and Children s Health We have the means to work together to end child marriage

On 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


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