Child marriage

Child marriage is a practice where a person under 18 is married, either formally or informally, to an adult or another child. This practice has many serious effects on both girls and boys. Girls who marry as children often cannot continue their education or have opportunities for careers. They may also face health problems because of early pregnancy and childbirth. Boys in child marriages may feel pressure to support a family and may have trouble continuing their education or building careers.

Several factors can lead to child marriages, including poverty, cultural traditions, social pressure, and a lack of education. Experts believe that providing good education and supporting rural communities can help prevent child marriages. While child marriage was common in the past, it still happens in many parts of the world today, especially in developing nations across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, Latin and North America, and Oceania. Sadly, even in developed countries like the United States, child marriage is still legal in many states, with some places allowing marriage as young as age 14.

Child marriage is widely seen as a serious violation of human rights and health, especially for girls. The world has been working to reduce this practice, and there has been progress. According to data from 2018, about 21% of young women aged 20 to 24 worldwide were married as children, which is a 25% decrease from ten years earlier. However, some countries still have very high rates of child marriage, and each year millions of girls under 18 are married.

History

Before the Industrial Revolution, many girls around the world were married very young, often soon after they began to grow up. This practice continued into the 1800s in places where most people lived in the countryside. Boys usually married later, especially if they needed to earn money before they could start their own homes.

In ancient times and during the Middle Ages, it was common for girls to be promised in marriage even before they grew up. In some places, most girls married before they turned 15. In Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, girls often married at 12 and boys at 14. In parts of Europe, people usually married later, in their mid-20s, except for very wealthy families. By the 1300s in England, laws were made to protect young girls from being treated unfairly in marriage. Later, similar rules were introduced in other places, like India under British rule.

In some areas, like Syria and Egypt, families would arrange marriages for their children when they were young, but would wait until the girls were older before the marriage fully began. By the early 1900s, many countries started setting minimum ages for marriage, like 16 for women and 18 for men in Egypt in 1923.

In the United States during the late 1800s, a small percentage of young women, about 13 to 18%, married before turning 18.

Religious norms and laws

Many religions have set rules about how old people should be before they can get married. By the year 2000, most countries made the general rule that people should be 18 years old to marry. But in some places, there are special rules that let younger people marry if their parents agree or a judge says it’s okay.

In Christianity, church rules used to say that girls couldn’t get married before they started growing into adults. Over time, these rules changed a few times.

In Hinduism, some very old writings say girls should marry after they started growing into adults, but some other writings say they could marry before. Today in India, the law says girls must be 18 and boys must be 21 before they can marry.

In Islam, there aren’t specific ages set in the old rules, but there are ideas about when someone is ready. Modern laws in many Middle Eastern countries now say people should be at least 15 or 16 to marry. In Saudi Arabia, the law now says people must be 18.

In Judaism, religious teachers say girls should not be married off while they are still very young. They have ideas about the best ages for marriage and advise against big age gaps between spouses.

Problems (gendered effects)

Child marriage can cause many serious problems for girls, affecting their health, education, and future chances. In some places, pregnancy and childbirth are major reasons why young girls between 15 and 19 years old pass away. For example, in Niger, most girls marry before they turn 18.

Boys can also be married as children, though this happens much less often than for girls. When boys marry early, they may not be ready for responsibilities like taking care of a family, and they often miss out on education and job opportunities. As of September 2014, around 156 million men were married before turning 18. Studies show that many more girls than boys experience child marriage, with girls being five times more likely to marry early than boys.

Causes

Factors that lead to child marriage include poverty, unequal roles between girls and boys, traditions, and feeling unsafe during difficult times like wars or natural disasters.

Sometimes families arrange marriages for their children very young to settle property issues, follow cultural customs, or protect them from harm. In some places, families may marry off their daughters early because they cannot afford to support them or fear for their safety. Natural disasters can also increase child marriage as families struggle to survive.

In some cultures, marrying young is a tradition, and laws may allow it with special permission. This can happen in many countries, even those with higher general marriage ages.

Effects on global regions

A report from the United Nations stated that between 2000 and 2011, about one third of women aged 20 to 24 in developing regions were married or in a relationship before turning 18. In 2010, this meant almost 67 million women. About 12 percent of these women were married or in a relationship before age 15. The rate of these marriages differs a lot between countries. Girls living in rural areas are twice as likely to marry as children compared to girls living in urban areas.

Africa

Africa has the highest rates of child marriage, with over half of girls marrying before age 18 in five countries. Girls in West and Central Africa face the highest risk. Niger has one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa, with 76 percent of women aged 20 to 24 marrying before 18, and 28 percent before age 15. Although the number of child marriages has decreased worldwide, Africa still has the most severe problem.

African countries have laws setting the minimum marriage age between 16 and 18, but local customs and religious rules sometimes allow marriages below age 12. Child marriages are widespread in West, Central, and Northeast Africa. Poverty, religion, tradition, and conflict contribute to high rates in some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

In many African traditions, a man pays a price to the girl’s family when marrying her. This price decreases as the girl gets older and sometimes happens before she reaches puberty. Many of these marriages happen because of poverty, with families needing the money to survive. Some countries have taken steps to stop child marriage, like The Gambia banning it in 2016 and Malawi passing a law in 2015.

Americas

Child marriage is common in Latin America and the Caribbean, with about 29 percent of girls marrying before age 18. Countries like the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Ecuador have some of the highest rates. Bolivia and Guyana have seen the biggest drops in child marriage rates.

Poverty and lack of laws are reasons for child marriage in Latin America. Some groups are working to change beliefs and help young girls. In Guatemala, early marriage is common among indigenous communities. In Colombia, some indigenous groups used to marry young girls to protect them from harm.

In Canada, the minimum age to marry is 16, but there are extra rules for those under 18. In the United States, laws about child marriage vary by state, and some states still allow it with special permission.

Asia

More than half of all child marriages happen in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Rates have dropped in these areas, but mostly among younger girls rather than older teenagers.

In Western Asia, Afghanistan has high rates of child marriage, with many girls marrying before age 18. Saudi Arabia has taken steps to raise the minimum age to 18. Turkey also has many child marriages.

In Southeast Asia, some groups like the Hill tribes often marry young. Indonesia raised the marriage age for girls to 19 in 2019. Malaysia and the Philippines have also taken steps to stop child marriage.

Bangladesh has very high rates, with many girls marrying before 18. India has also worked to stop child marriage, passing laws to set the minimum age at 18.

Nepal and Pakistan also face challenges with child marriage, with many girls marrying young due to tradition and poverty.

Europe

In Europe, each country has its own laws about marriage age. The general age to marry as a right is 18 in all European Union countries, but some allow marriages under 18 with special permission.

In Scandinavia, countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have banned marriage under 18. In some parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, child marriages happen among certain groups but are illegal.

In the United Kingdom, the marriage age is now 18 with no exceptions, but some cases still occur, especially among certain communities.

Consequences

Child marriage has effects that last well beyond a girl’s teenage years. Girls who marry young often face difficulties with pregnancy and health issues, especially if they have babies too close together. This can lead to serious health problems and make it hard for them to continue their education.

Early marriage can also make girls more likely to experience harmful situations at home and miss out on learning opportunities. Without education, it becomes harder for them to earn a living or support themselves and their families, which can trap them and their families in poverty for many years.

Divorce

Divorce can be harder for children who are married because they are often too young to ask for a divorce by themselves. The rules about divorce usually assume that everyone getting married is an adult. Because of this, children sometimes need a judge’s permission or an adult to help them during divorce proceedings. Recently, some places, like New York state, have changed their rules so that a child can start a divorce without needing an extra adult to help.

Prevention

Child marriage is always considered forced marriage because children cannot fully agree to marry. Many groups work to help stop child marriage and forced marriage.

Children who are forced to marry have not broken any laws. In the United States, the government does not support child marriage and offers legal help and support to children trying to prevent or leave a forced marriage. Children can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline or reach out to Unchained At Last, an organization that helps people escape forced marriages.

Different places have different rules about the age people can marry. Some states in the United States have banned marriages for people under 18, while others are still working on changing their laws. In other countries, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, there are also rules to protect children from being forced to marry.

International groups have also worked to stop child marriage. The United Nations has special days and resolutions to raise awareness about the problem. Programs that help prevent child marriage often focus on educating girls, changing community ideas, and providing economic help to families so they do not feel the need to marry their daughters young. These programs have shown that when families have other options, they are less likely to agree to child marriage.

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