Child Marriage: A Global Crisis Impacting Young Girls

Imagine yourself in a white dress at the altar, with a long veil and a bouquet made with seven roses and three daisies on a stick in pastel tones, with all your family proudly looking at you. Now imagine you are 11 years old.

The statistics of child marriage are truly horrific:

  • 117 nations allow children to marry.
  • In some countries, girls under the age of seven get married. Can you imagine that?
  • In Afghanistan, a six-year-old named Aisha married a 53-year-old.

The Health Risks of Early Pregnancy

Girls under the age of 20 are unprepared to become mothers. Their bodies will not mature until they have reached adulthood. Pregnancy under the age of 20 frequently results in many fatal complications, taking the lives of these young mothers from many countries.

Forcing underage children to make a commitment such as marriage causes a higher rate of miscarriage in young mothers. Every year, around 70 million maternal deaths are caused by early pregnancy. An estimated number of young maternal lives that are lost are because complications and health issues such as eclampsia and obstructed labor are common. Premature and prolonged labor can also be fatal to her baby.

Child Marriage: A Violation of Human Rights

Child marriage is a global problem that cuts across countries, regions, cultures, and religions. Children are not only not yet mentally prepared to face the challenges of marriage, but they are being deprived of their childhood.

In many communities and religions, child marriage has been a tradition for decades, if not centuries. So much that it can be seen as a core part of the culture. But not all cultural practices are positive. Child marriage deprives girls of education and economic opportunities, and puts their health and safety at risk.

Regional Statistics on Child Marriage

An estimate of 1.5 million girls under 18 years old get married in India, which makes it the largest number of child brides in the world. Niger has the highest overall prevalence of child marriage in the world. However, Bangladesh has the highest rate of marriage involving girls under age 15. South Asia is home to almost half percent of all child brides worldwide.

The Trauma of Initiation Camps

In some communities, once you reach puberty, you are supposed to go to initiation camps. In these initiation camps, you are taught how to sexually please a man. A man hired by the community comes to the camp and sleeps with the little girls. Imagine the trauma these young girls go through every day.

The Dangers of Child Marriage

Many people think that child marriage is not harmful. However, what they don’t know is that they could experience domestic violence or sexual abuse and become infected frequently with STIs. They are more likely to have children when they are still a child themselves.

Being sold into marriage at nine years old to a 55-year-old who could basically be your grandpa should not be an option anywhere in the globe. There are no differences between sexual assault without being married and sexual assault in the marriage.

The Need to Ban Child Marriage

Furthermore, girls are not ready to become wives and mothers physically and emotionally. They are children, and they want to enjoy their childhood and play games with other kids, and it will be hard to bring up their own babies. That’s why child marriage should be banned because it’s a violation of children’s, women’s, and human rights.