They should be
playing, learning and enjoying their childhood. But instead these youngsters,
some as young as five, are being married off in secret weddings. It is
estimated that every year this happens to ten to 12 million girls in the
developing world.
According to a UNICEF report, Unite for Children, over 700 million women alive today were married as children, 1 in 3 girls in the developing countries of the world were married before 18 and entered sexual union, and if we do not take arms against this evil social practice then by end of the decade an estimated 142 million girls will be married as children.The table below shows the countries around the globe which have the maximum incidence of childmarriage:
Child Marriages in India:
Child marriage is
widespread across India, with nearly half of brides married as girls . While
there has been a decline in the incidence of child marriage nationally (from 54
per cent in 1992-93 to 33 per cent today) and in nearly all states, the pace of
change remains slow , especially for girls in the age group 15-18 years. Child marriage
is more prevalent in rural areas (48 per cent) than in urban areas (29 per
cent) . There are also variations across different groups, particularly
excluded communities, castes and tribes – although some ethnic groups, such as
tribal groups, have lower rates of child marriage compared with the majority
population.
Reasons for Child Marriage:
- Cultural, social, economic and religious. In many cases, a mixture of these causes results in the imprisonment of children in marriages without their consent.
- Dowry--the money the bride's family pays to the groom--is a big factor in child marriage. People worry that the older a girl is, the more they will have to pay, so they marry girls early.
- In places where child marriage is prevalent, the father is often the key decision-maker in the family. He gets to decide what is good for his children, without asking them.
- Sometimes girls agree to a marriage because it seems like a way to escape the challenges of their current life, from feeling like a burden on their family to not being able to access an education or make decisions. Girls who believe a promise of a better life may end up in a marriage that is worse than what they left.
Girls married as children are more likely to:
- Stop their education, particularly in impoverished countries where child marriages are common.
- Become pregnant as adolescents. One in six girls begins childbearing between the ages of 15 and 19 years . Early pregnancy increases the risk of delivery complications and maternal and child mortality. The Infant Mortality Rate is 76 per cent for women aged less than 20 years, compared with 50 per cent for women aged 20-29 years.
Government Laws:
• The Prohibition
of Child Marriage Act, 2006 makes it illegal for girls to marry under 18 years
and for boys under 21 years. Child marriage can be made voidable by the child
but within two years of becoming an adult.
• Child marriage
is a punishable offence with a fine up to INR 100,000, or up to two years of
imprisonment, or both. It is a non-cognizable and non-bailable offence.
• Dowry was
prohibited in 1961 by the Dowry Prohibition Act, with a fine up to INR 15,000,
or the dowry amount, whichever is higher, and imprisonment for between six
months and five years.
• Other laws that
may provide protection to a child bride include the Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000, the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
Time to end early marriage:
Early marriage is a difficult problem to
tackle because its causes are rooted in cultural beliefs and practices that
have been prevalent for generations. Although no major religion endorses child
marriage, religious belief has often been distorted to support it in some
regions.
To stop child marriage and alleviate early
marriage problems will involve a several-pronged approach:
- Empowering girls
- Educating communities
- Changing attitudes among parents and community leaders
- Creating legislative change and enforcing laws
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