Child Marriage continues to be a prevalent practice in many parts of the world. Even though the world is evolving at a fast pace, there are some regions that can’t seem to move on with times. What’s sad is the dark reality of child marriage which is not considered often. Child marriage is basically the formal or informal marriage of a child with or without their consent, under the age of 18 In most cases, the boy or man is older than the girl. Through at his blog, we will throw light on this social issue.
Causes and Impact of Child Marriage
Child marriage is no less than exploitation of right. In the Nigerian Law, the child must be 18 years and above to get married. Thus, marrying off the child before the age is exploiting their right.
One of the most common causes of child marriage is the tradition which has been in practice for a long time. In many places, ever since a girl is born, they consider her to be someone else’s property.
Similarly, the elders wish to work out their family’s expansion so they marry off the youngsters to characterize their status. Most importantly, poor people practice child marriage to get rid of their loans, taxes, dowry and more.
The impact of child marriage can be life-changing for children, especially girls. The household responsibilities fall on the children. They are not mentally or physically ready for it, yet it falls on them. While people expect the minor boys to bear the financial responsibilities, the girls are expected to look after the house and family. Their freedom to learn and innocence is taken away.
The largest impacts in terms of economic costs are through fertility and population growth. Child marriage leads girls to have children earlier and more children over their lifetime. This in turns reduces the ability of households to meet their basic needs, and thereby contributes to poverty.
A girl is more likely to drop out of school during the preparatory time before her marriage or shortly after. As a wife or mother, she is often expected to take care of the home, children and extended family. Returning to school can be almost impossible for a married girl.
Married girls face many practical barriers to education, including household responsibilities, stigma, forced exclusion from school and gender norms that keep them at home. Child marriage often results in adolescent pregnancy. A pregnant adolescent girl may drop out or be excluded from school because of national laws, a lack of support for re-enrolment and stigma. The younger the age at marriage, the greater the impact. Once married, a girl is very unlikely to remain in or return to school.
Further, their health is also put at risk due to the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and more. Especially the girls who get pregnant at a young age, it becomes harmful for the mother as well as the baby.
How to End Child Marriage
Ending child marriage is the need of the hour. In order to end this social evil, everyone from individuals to world leaders must challenge the traditional norms. Moreover, we must do away with ideas that reinforce that girls are inferior to boys. We must empower the children, especially girls, to become their own agents of change. To achieve this, they must get access to quality education and allow them to complete their studies so they can lead an independent life later on. Safe spaces are important for children to be able to express themselves and make their voices heard. Thus, it is essential to remove all forms of gender discrimination to ensure everyone is given equal value and protection.
Conclusion
To sum it up, a marriage must be a sacred union between mature individuals and not an illogical institution which compromises with the future of our children. The problem must be solved at the grassroots level beginning with ending poverty and lack of education. This way, people will learn better and do better.
