Skyler Seawright
Professor Slevin
ENG 211C
22 April 2018
Forced Child Marriage in 3rd World Countries
Child marriage, defined as marriage of a child under 18 years of age, is a silent and yet widespread practice. Today, over 60 million marriages include girls under the age of 18 years: approximately 31 million in South Asia, 14 million in sub-Saharan Africa, and 6.6 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each day, 25,000 girls are married, and an anticipated 100 million girls will be married in 2012. Over 60% of girls are married under the age of 18 in some sub-Saharan countries and Bangladesh, and 40% to 60% of girls undergo child marriage in India (Nawal). In this research paper we must know the history and meaning of certain words. For instance, child, marriage, forced, religion, laws, third world countries etc. We move in to talk about what causes a parent to give their child away in return for economic, social, or political profit. For many years families in places like North Africa, Middle East, and Asia have been forcing their children to marry into money or land; selling them to the highest bidder. “One third of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15.” (ICRW) Forced child marriage has become a rising issue all over the world but my focus is countries that don’t have the access for support like third world areas. Should or could third world countries alter their religious beliefs and laws to comply with the worlds believed moral thinking?
Background Behind Child Marriage
When giving a child away it is usually because of the family statured. Families that face poverty, struggles with protection, and a need to strengthen social ties fall more into child marriage. Because of these reason families in those third world countries are more common to these then other areas. As a child is given away to another family incentives are given to the bride’s family. Some of these incentives in Families that have their child married away are social ties to a tribe or family with a high social standing. Another reason would be that the family wants to release that financial burden from there family on to her husband’s, so they know that she has that financial security. Women and young girls are facing this common occurrence where they are only being born to marry and create children until they can’t anymore. The point is they don’t get to be kids they are taught from a young age that they are here to marry and have children as soon as they are fertile which is a violation of human rights(Roudi-Fahimi).This is so important because we aren’t helping these girl have a fair fight in the world where they don’t have the chance to become doctors, singers, lawyers, athletes, actresses let alone dream of what they could have been. Therefore, these women are left with things like anxiety, PTSD, genital mutilation, miscarriages and the possibility for their child to have birth defects.
Effects of Forced Child Marriage in third world countries
The USAID states that the CEFM impedes girls’ education and increases early pregnancy and the risk of maternal mortality, obstetric complications, gender-based violence, and HIV/AIDS. Children of young mothers have higher rates of infant mortality and malnutrition compared to children of mothers older than 18. The responsibility that a child should be married by a certain age, has to be untouched and married as soon as they become the age to bear children is breathtaking. If any of these things don’t go as planned they become unmarriable and forever a burden to their family. In cases like this were the daughter refuses marriage or is caught with a man that is not her husband she could be killed or banished from her home. Most of these women run away from their villages and seek refuge in camps for women like them. Because these mother bare children at such young ages they often suffer from genital mutilation, depression and the risk of sexually transmitted disease and cervical cancer. It’s told that parents believed that they save their daughters from rape, premarital sex, and unintended pregnancies by marrying away their daughter. But these women still face sexual and physical abuse by the older men that they marry and have no choice but to stay. This takes an even harder toll on the mother and child creating mental issues and increase in anxiety and depression. “Some families take advantage of religious laws that condone an earlier marriage age and arrange for their daughters to marry in religious wedding ceremonies, postponing the official registration until the bride reaches the legal age”(Roudi-Fahimi).
Religious Belief
In America we practice the first amendment which means you can practice whatever religion you please and no one can say anything because that is your belief. “No one religious affiliation is associated with child marriage. Rather, a variety of religions are associated with child marriage in countries throughout the world” (ICRW). Religion plays such a huge part in forced child marriage because most of these areas are not as diverse as America. So, it makes the situation 100 times harder to solve because they have become custom to one way. But we also but in place laws that limits certain things that are practiced. In situation as in a minor that is sexually active with someone three years or older than them can have charges pressed against him or her by the parents for statutory rape. In other countries it is allowed for children to marry young as 10 and there is no limit on how old the husband must be so, there are instance where a young girl named Nargis who was 14 married a man that was twice her age. She then conceived a child by the time she was 15. Nargis now has a one-and-a-half-year-old baby boy name Nayeem where she has to work every day in a factory to support him. A quote from Nargis where she says, “I knew about the consequences of early marriage, but still, I had to get married at 14” (Child mothers). Early childhood marriage is important to these families, but it doesn’t make it right. It helps families get out of financial struggle but at what cost is it to your child’s health and happiness.
Laws & Economics
The Universal Declaration of human Rights states that individuals must enter marriage freely with full consent and must be at full age. In 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women stated that child marriage is illegal. Although these laws have taken place many countries and religious affiliations have gone against it. This is not fair to women in children where there are laws to protect them from such situations are not because followed or take in to consideration. This makes it harder for organization to help make a difference in these areas because they already don’t follow the laws implemented so nonprofits can only work with the women head on to make a difference. Reading many of these families’ stories like Nargis where she was forced to marry because her family could not support her is heart breaking. Her parents did not want their daughter to marry so young, but they saw it as the only way to have that economic weight taken of their shoulders. Furthermore, this is not only a problem in developing countries but is slowing rising issue in America. “If we do not take effective action, by 2030 an estimated 220 million more girls in the developing world will marry as children. That would be a tragic human rights failure and missed development opportunity” (Featherstone).
To fight this issue, we must pressure these counties to change their laws and be willing to allow assistance or programs from more developed countries to step in and help. Allowing countries to help with education and the future of these women but to also help the women that are already claimed in these marriages. An organization that has been working to slow this issue down is Girls Not Brides. Girls Not Brides is an organization trying to bring attention globally about what it takes to create these laws and policies. This org. is sourced out of England and Wales where it deals with members from all over. Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. They have been working to create programs all over to reach women in need of this sanctions. Forced marriages of young girls in third world countries has been an ongoing issue for many years. This is something that occurs more than people think so often but people are not aware much that even though people know it’s not okay they still do nothing. I personally believe that we could help by keep girls educated and reach out to the media to broadcast this issue worldwide. With this we will be able to reach out to not only girls who are soon to be married but the ones that are already married. This will allow us to start a bigger movement in the world and make a change for the better.
Work Cited
Primary
“Child, Early & Forced Marriage.” Childmothers, www.childmothers.org/issues/forced-marriage/index.html.
This article points out how child, early and forced marriage are considered harmful practice alongside female genital mutilation. A young girl name Nargis shares her story of being in a forced marriage and explains the thing she had to go through and overcome being only 16. It talks about the violations it has against international human right. This article will help bring in facts that are harder to hear. There are very strong testimonies and stories of young girl’s experiences in forced marriages.
“Child, Early, and Forced Marriage: United States Government’s Response.” U.S. Agency for International Development, 18 Aug. 2014, www.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/child-early-and-forced-marriage-usg-response.
This citation focuses on comparing forced marriage in the U.S. to around the world. This will allow me to compare the difference between a nation where I was raised and custom too to a place I know nothing of. It brings up great points on how risky it is for children to be conceiving at such a young age. They talk of how many girls die during childbirth and the number of girls that have complications. This article will be helpful to my research because although I am focusing on more poverty countries it will help give an insight to the issues faced in countries like the U.S. This will solidify my information on how forced marriage is portrayed in different countries.
Nour, Nawal M. “Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Rights Issue.” Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, MedReviews, LLC, 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672998/.
This article was written by Nawal M. Nour who is a gynecologist. He states that children having kids or partaking in sexual activity can cause many issues not only in the mother but also the baby. This article will be able to help me with my research because I will be able to get the point of view not only someone who is a minority but also in the medical field. I plan to use his point of view when talking about the effects of young girls who have to carry children.
Saliba, Katrine. “Lynne Featherstone’s Speech on Child, Forced and Early Marriage.” Liberal Democrats, Http://Www.libdems.org.uk/, 12 May 2014, www.libdems.org.uk/lynne_featherstones_speech_on_child_forced_and_early_marriage.
This citation was a speech given by Lynne Featherstone’s. She speaks of events that took places in Nigeria where more than 200 girls were abducted and threatened to be sold into slavery. This shows how they lose all over their fundamental rights without any choice. This article will assist me in furthering my research with recent events of tragedies in other countries. Featherstone is a liberal democrat which will help assist me in proving more points that I believe in.
Secondary
“Child Marriage Facts and Figures.” ICRW | PASSION. PROOF. POWER., International Center for Research on Women, www.icrw.org/child-marriage-facts-and-figures.
“Forced Child Marriage and Child Labor Coalition.” NEA, www.nea.org/home/62638.htm.
“Forced Marriage Continues in Many Countries.” Girls Not Brides, 20 Apr. 2015, www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage-a-global-issue/.
“Maternal Health.” CARE, 11 Jan. 2017, www.care.org/work/health/maternal-health.
Roudi-Fahimi, Farzaneh. “Child Marriage in the Middle East and North Africa.” Child Marriage in the Middle East and North Africa, Feb. 2010, www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2010/menachildmarriage.aspx.
Wodon, Quentin. “Child Marriage, Family Law, and Religion: An Introduction to the Fall 2015 Issue.” Taylor & Francis Online, 23 Oct. 2015, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15570274.2015.1075761.