Child marriage is not one of a mere social and gender discrimination issue, but also a global health problem. Child marriages lead to early pregnancies, which leave girls at high risk for death in childbirth, complications, and low birth weights.
What is the global cost of child marriages? According to a new World Vision report, “Before She's Ready”, the cost is great;
“as every day, an estimated 3,500 girls will marry before reaching their fifteenth birthdays. Another 21,000 girls each day marry before the age of 18. Their total is expected to reach up to 100 million within the next decade. Already, 51 million girls in the developing world have been married before legal adulthood.”
The report, which lists 15 countries where girls are married before 15 years of ages, highlights the high global impact of child marriage. The cost to child brides include; an increased risks of contracting HIV, an end to education, higher instances of violence and abuse, and increased maternal mortality.
At the root of child marriage is; poverty, marginalization of girls, illiteracy, lack of education, and poor health care. What can be done to end this historically and economically rooted practice? According to the report, Ending Child Marriage: A Guide for Global Policy Action, recommendations included;
Enact, standardize and enforce national laws, Create an enabling environment for social change, Develop multi-sectoral program approaches and partnerships, Priority areas for policy and program development, and Strengthen research and data collection systems. These specific recommendations such as; "Strengthening the integration of child marriage prevention and support programs into other government sector initiatives, especially in the areas of health, education, HIV and employment", increase access to health and education, "Combat all forms of violence against girls and women, especially sexual violence and abuse, through policies and programs focusing on prevention, treatment, counseling and legal protection"
The battle to end child marriage is global and the road is long, but the end for many girls is in sight if the international community and individual states step forward to ensure that the rights of girls are ensured and protected. Gender discrimination must be put on the forefront of the agenda if one is to see an end to both the cycles of abuse and poverty. It must be ensured that communities are educated regarding the effects of child marriage and all forms of gender discrimination, and then see that sustainable solutions are put in place. Making education available for girls, seeing families have alternatives to paying debts, eliminating poverty, providing health education on HIV/AIDS and other diseases, are all needed to end the suffering of girls across the globe.
For more information on child marriage please see previous posts here.
Links:
Child Marriage Fact Sheet – UNFPA
Child Marriage Fact Sheet – International Women's Health Coalition
Early Marriage: Child Spouses – UNICEF
UNICEF Child Marriage Statistics
Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages
The African Charter on the Rights Welfare of the Child
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
State of the World Population 2005 – Child Marriage Fact Sheet
Population Council Works to Eliminate Child Marriage
Stop Child Marriage
