Child Marriage Around Us
According to a research from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), it is a human right to freely and fully choose one’s lifetime partner through marriage.
However, even in today’s modern world, child marriage still exists in some countries. It is considered a violation of the human rights for parents to engage their child more so, the female children not until they reach 18 years of age.
Challenges of Getting Married at a Young Age
There are about 36 percent of women in the world who are arranged to get married even before they reach 18 years of age. Most of them usually give birth on the average age of 15 to 19 years old. These cases are normally seen in many Southeast Asian countries as well as in Africa. Although child marriages can happen to both girls and boys, challenges or risks are more experienced by females.
Females who get married at a young age are prone to physical, psychological and emotional health risks. Those who are forced to child marriage are most likely to experience lack of freedom to interact with other people, early separation from family and friends, unable to participate in community activities and deprived of education.
They are at risk to labor exploitation, sexual violations, premature pregnancy and HIV or sexually transmitted diseases.
Why Do Some Cultures Still Do Child Marriage?
There are many reasons why child marriage still occurs in many cultures. Most often than not, economic crises drive the parents to force their children into early marriage. In some countries, it is a means of security and honor for the family to have their children undergo child marriage.
Normally parents choose those who have higher socioeconomic status for their children to marry. In some cases, it is a means of protecting their personal wealth by securing spouses for their children, who also come from a well-to-do family.
There are some countries who do not favor female offspring therefore; they would shamelessly force their child to an early marriage for the sake of getting rid of them. There are also some countries, especially in India who simply wants to keep up with the tradition.
But, in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, they lack strict implementation of law to be able to protect children under the age of 18, from parents who force them into child marriage.
Where is Child Marriage Headed To?
When child marriage will not be stopped, misery will befall upon both children who are unaware of the realities and challenges they are faced with. Nevertheless, it is most likely that girls experience the disadvantages and dangers of childhood marriage as compared to the boys.
While their families enjoy the perks of gaining more wealth and security from their children’s marriage, the children are inclined to experience trauma and deprivation of their basic human rights. They remain uneducated and unprepared for family life more so, in living up the mother role.
If other agencies or organization would want to finally put an end into this impractical tradition, it should be a collective effort to protect children under the age of 18 from becoming victims of their own parents engaging them into childhood marriage.
Thus, parents, government and non-governmental agencies should collaborate into eradicating this undesirable practice of childhood marriage by providing the proper information especially the impact it will have on the children. The practice of child marriage does not belong into 21st century.