Explantor: 5 common myths about children’s marriage

“I was married at 14, and I lost my first child in 16 during pregnancy”, ” Rano Chakma said. Children’s marriage usual in her village of Teknaf also contacted, on the southern coast of Bangladesh, although it is illegal and human rights violations.

And the violation occur even in time when many countries prohibit illegal practice, recently in ColombiaWhere the law came into force earlier this month.

Here are five common misconceptions about children’s marriage:

Myth 1: It’s always illegal

Children’s marriage is banned in many international agreements, from The Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on removing all forms of discrimination against women to the action program International Conference on Population and Development 1994. years. However, there are 640 million women and girls who were children’s brides, with more children’s marriages every day.

How is that possible? Many countries prohibit children’s marriage in principle, but define the allowed age of marriage as something other than 18 or allow exceptions to the parental consent or in religious or common law. In many cases, these marriages and marriages are not legally registered at all, making the execution of the law difficult.

Dealing with children’s marriage requires more than law; Requires a review as society prices of a girl.

Programs like Taalim-i-naubalighanIn Bihar, India, where two in five children were married 18 years ago, have an impact. These programs encourage young people to think about topics such as gender roles and human rights.

“That’s why I managed to help my sister,” Altamash said, a male student whose sister wanted to avoid child marriage and continue studies. “When I understood her desire and to help her, I advocated for her to her father. Now he will end his education, and I am so proud of her.”

Myth 2: Sometimes the marriage that is needed

Children’s marriage remains partly pervaded because it is considered a solution to other problems.

In humanitarian crises, children’s marriage rates often grow, and parents believe that marriage will provide a daughter’s future with the husband responsible for economically supporting it and protection against violence. Children’s marriage is considered a solution that will preserve the honor of the girl and her family after – or in some cases before – she became pregnant. In developing countries, most adolescent births take place in marriage.

However, a children’s marriage is not a really solution for any of these issues. Baby marriage itself leads Girls who have a high level of sexual, physical and emotional violence from their intimate partners. Pregnancy is dangerous to girls; Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls. Children’s bride and adolescent mothers are often forced to give up school, thinning their future prospects.

Nicolette, 16, Madagascar was so used to seeing her classmates disappear from school after marrying and becoming pregnant, she never thought of practicing practice. That is until she attended a UNFPA-supported consciousness raising session.

“I didn’t know we could be the victims of the children’s marriage,” she said. Now he wants all the girls in their community know, “Everyone has the right to realize his ambitions, and marriage is a choice.”

Myth 3: This problem goes

Children’s marriage may sound like a problem of past or distant places, but in fact, a serious threat to girls around the world remains.

Although the global children’s rate fall slowly, the highest rates have the most population growth, which means that the absolute number of children’s marriages is expected to increase.

The problem is really global. The largest number of children’s young people live in the area of ​​Asia and the Pacific region, the greatest rate of the Africa and the lack of progress in Latin America and the Caribbean means that this region will have the second largest distribution of children’s marriage until 2030. years.

However, the question is not limited to the development of nations. It takes place in countries like Great Britain and the United States.

“I was basically in the morning in the morning and I was forced to marry that night”, Sara Tasneeem toldRecalling her marriage, the first informal spiritual union between the age of 15 and then legally at the age of 16. “I got a pregnant stepped back and we were legally married in Reno, Nevada, where only the permit he signed only my father.”

To change this, the actions must be accelerated to complete the children’s marriage, especially by empowering girls.

“I was 13 when my father handed my hand in marriage with a cousin,” 16-year-old hadiza, in Niger, told. Fortunately, she had access to a safe space through a UNFPA-Notes youth program. “I talked to the safety mentor, who, with the help of the head of the neighborhood, negotiated with my parents to delay a wedding.”

Today, the Hadiza trainee is a tailor, learning skills to become economically self-sufficient. “In three years I plan to marry a man I love,” she said.

Myth 4: It is a cultural or religious question

Children’s marriage is sometimes misrepresented as a religious or cultural mandate practice. But there are no major religious traditions that need a children’s marriage.

In fact, cultural and religious leaders around the world often lead a strong attitude against children’s marriage, especially when they have provided evidence of the consequences of practice.

“We have always learned young people, both religiously and legally, was not advisable,” Shirkhan Chobanov, the I have a mosque I have JUMA In Tbilisi, Georgia said. “We also explained to those young people that they had to achieve other tasks, primarily concerning their education, before they think about starting the family.”

UNFPA works with faith leaders around the world working at the end of a children’s marriage, including priest, Monks, sisters and imam.

“We see very good results regarding the keeping of a children’s marriage,” Gebreegziabher Tiku said, a priest in Ethiopia.

Myth 5: only happens to girls

While the big majority of children’s marriages include girls, boys can also be married.

Globally, 115 million boys and men were married 18 years ago, according to Data from 2019. These unions are also connected to early paternity, limited education and reduced opportunities in life.

However, girls disproportionately affected by practice, with about one in five young women aged 20 to 24 years married before 18. birthdays, compared to one of 30 young men. Marriage rates for children for boys are very low even in the countries where children’s marriage among girls is relatively high.

Regardless of the gender of a child who is not affected, nor the state in which the Union takes place, a children’s marriage is a harmful practice that requires solving a common set of causes. These include economic inequality, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and information and factors such as conflicts. One of the largest root causes – gender inequality – requires urgent and renovated focus.

“While we have abolished a children’s marriage, we did not lift predominable masculinity,” said Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, director of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies at the University of Westerners, in Trinidad and Tobag, soon after the land of the children’s marriage.

Kevin Liverpool, activist with advocacy of the group CarimanHe said men and boys have a critical role.

“It is important to raise awareness of these groups, among those individuals, about what feminism is, why gender equality is important for women, but also for men and for the whole society,” he said.