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Summary: Armed with statistics showing that half
of all girls in some countries are
married by the time they reach age 18,
the United Nations Children’s Fund
called today for a global campaign to
prevent the widespread phenomenon of
child marriage.
UNICEF: Child marriages must stop
New Report Says Millions of Children, Mostly Girls, Suffer from the
Practice
Wednesday, 7 March 2001: Armed with statistics showing that half of
all girls in some countries are married by the time they reach age
18, the United Nations Children's Fund called today for a global
campaign to prevent the widespread phenomenon of child marriage.
This call, on the eve of International Women's Day, is part of a new
report released today by UNICEF. Entitled "Early Marriage: Child
Spouses," it discusses why early marriage continues, and may even be
on the rise among extremely poor populations.
"Forcing children, especially girls, into early marriages can be
physically and emotionally harmful," said Carol Bellamy, the
Executive Director of UNICEF. "It violates their rights to personal
freedom and growth. Yet until now there has been virtually no attempt
to examine child marriage as a human rights violation in and of
itself."
By analyzing child marriage as a violation of a child's basic rights,
the report seeks to build momentum for change. "This is another step
in a growing movement to end the silent despair of millions of
children, especially girls, who are being shuttered away in lives
often full of misery and pain," Bellamy said.
The report examines many of the implications of child marriage, from
its restriction of personal freedom to its impact on health and
education. For both boys and girls, early marriage has profound
physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional consequences,
cutting off educational opportunities and chances for personal
growth. For girls, in addition, it will almost certainly mean
premature pregnancy - which causes higher rates of maternal
mortality - and is likely to lead to a lifetime of domestic and
sexual subservience. Teenage girls are also more susceptible than
mature women to sexually-transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.
Their vulnerability is dangerously increased because of the false
belief in many places that if a man sleeps with a virgin, he'll be
cured of HIV/AIDS.
Child marriages can be found across the globe, but are pervasive in
parts of Africa and South Asia. The percentage of girls aged 15-19 in
selected countries who are already married include:
Democratic Republic of Congo
74%
Niger
70%
Afghanistan
54%
Bangladesh
51%
Honduras
30%
Iraq
28%
Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning child marriage. In
Bangladesh, poverty-stricken parents are persuaded to part with
daughters through promises of marriage, or by false marriages, which
are used to lure girls into prostitution abroad. Accounts from Iraq
indicate that early marriage is rising there in response to poverty.
The traditional desire to protect girls from out-of-wedlock
pregnancies is also a primary factor. A recent UNICEF survey showed
that 44 per cent of 20 to 24 year-old women in Niger were married
before they reached age 15 because of this concern. In the
communities studied, all decisions on the timing of marriage and the
choice of spouse were made by the father.
Abuse is common in child marriages. Data from Egypt indicates that 29
per cent of married adolescents have been beaten by their husbands
(or husband and others) and, of these adolescents, 41 per cent have
been beaten during pregnancy. A study in Jordan, published in 2000,
found that 26 per cent of reported cases of domestic violence were
committed against wives under 18.
Domestic violence causes some girls to run away in
desperation. "Those who do so, and those who choose a marriage
partner against the wishes of their parents, may be punished, or even
killed by their families. These girls run the risk of 'honour
killings' that occur in Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan,
Turkey and elsewhere," the report states.
Preventing Child Marriage
To prevent child marriage a wide range of individuals and
organizations, from community leaders to international bodies, must
take action. A first step is to inform parents and young people about
the negative implications of child marriage so they can choose to
prevent it.
Education is key in this process. Persuading parents to keep their
daughters in school is critical for the overall development of girls -
and in the postponement of marriage. Sri Lanka and the Indian state
of Kerala are good examples. Both have a high age of first
marriage. Both also have given priority to girls' education. "This
has changed the way men and women perceive their roles and potential,
and has led to a greater support for the rights of women than is
found in many other parts of (South Asia)," says the report.
For girls who are already married, services must be developed to
counsel them on issues ranging from abuse to reproduction. Girls aged
15 to 19 give birth to 15 million babies a year. Many of them do so
without attending an ante-natal clinic or receiving the help of a
professional midwife. These can have serious repercussions on the
health of both mother and child.
What is UNICEF doing to address the problem of early marriage?
UNICEF addresses child marriage as part of its broader approach to
gender discrimination, which undermines the right of women and
children. UNICEF's Global Girls' Education Programme operates in more
than 60 countries to ensure that girls have an equal opportunity at
education, which is key in postponing marriage and for the overall
development of girls.
In addition to supporting advocacy and communication campaigns in
several countries, UNICEF also has helped develop two successful
initiatives in the regions with highest rate of child marriage, South
Asia and sub-Saharan African.
The Meena initiative in South Asia is named after the young cartoon
heroine of a multi-media package and serves as a catalyst for
discussion on gender discrimination in childhood. Issues covered
include son preference, unfair treatment of girls in the family,
their lesser access to health and education services, harmful
traditional practices such as dowry and sexual harassment, as well as
early marriage.
Building on Meena's success, the Sara Adolescent Girl Communication
Initiative has been developed in 10 Eastern and Southern African
countries. The importance of staying in school is one of the main
messages of this radio series. Other issues covered include,
HIV/AIDS, domestic workload, FGM and early marriage.
"Early Marriage: Child Spouses" was produced by UNICEF's Innocenti
Research Centre in Florence, Italy. The full report can be accessed
on the Innocenti website (pdf format, Acrobat Reader required).
* * * * *
See also:
Feature story: Life after Early Marriage. These are the stories of
four young women from different parts of Ethiopia who have one thing
in common: early marriage.
* * * * *
For further information please contact:
Angela Hawke - (39 055) 203 3238, e-mail: [email protected]
Shima Islam - (212) 824 6949, e-mail: [email protected]
Mitchie Topper - (212) 303 7910, e-mail: [email protected]pdf: www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/digest7e.pdf