CHILD MARRIAGES
The United Nations Childrens Fund has demanded an end to child marriages which, it says, condemn millions of young girls to a life of misery and pain. ... "Forcing children, especially girls into early marriages, can be physically and emotionally harmful," UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy said. ... " Child marriages are most common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where poverty, traditional taboos about pre-marital sex, and fears of Aids are widespread. ... The extreme cases of child marriages include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, where many girls are married before 18. ... UNICEF is calling on governments and local groups to discourage child marriages by educating parents and young people about the implications. ... Child marriage in India has become, more or less a custom and the people seem to be of the opinion that they have to follow this custom. ... One can see a number of child marriages taking place on this day all over Rajasthan. The study also shows that child marriages cannot be curbed merely by legislation. ... Realization of adverse effects of child marriages can help in reduction of incidence of child marriage. ... Attention is also being paid towards adopting remedial measures through effective voluntary efforts which could help in applying a brake to widespread socio-cultural problem of child marriage." Child Marriage is a Human Rights Violation Child marriage is a human rights abuse endured by both girls and boys in dozens of countries, even though the internationally recognized age of legal marriage is 18. ... There are ways to reduce the practice of child marriage—but too little attention has been given to this widespread problem. Child marriage is any marriage that occurs before the age of 18. This standard is reinforced by a general consensus among various international conventions and human rights agreements that outlaw child marriages or the betrothal of young girls before the age of puberty. Typically, these marriages are characterized by a large age gap between the adolescent bride and groom. Child brides frequently go to live in their in-laws’ homes where, often, they become little more than servants. ... Under these circumstances, a child bride has no power to negotiate contraceptive use within marriage. ... Child marriage undermines the effectiveness of U. ... development assistance by contributing to: extreme and persistent poverty, high illiteracy, high incidence of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS elevated child mortality rates, high birth rates. The grave health risks to both child-mother and infant are compounded, because child brides frequently have little or no access to reproductive health services, such as routine gynecologic, obstetric, pre-natal and newborn care. Child brides also tend to have more and generally less educated children, experience higher incidences of sexually transmitted diseases, and die younger than those who marry later. Most child brides drop out of school upon marriage. In addition, child brides are often victims of domestic violence and abandonment, and they remain disproportionately poor. This collectively contributes to an intergenerational cycle of poverty, with daughters of child brides themselves often married as children. While the age of marriage is on the rise worldwide, child marriage remains a common practice throughout South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. ... Even so, it is possible to reduce the instances of child marriage.