Addressing early marriage of young and adolescent girls. According to an assessment conducted by unicef in 2005, among women ages 15 to 24, 48 percent were married before the age of 18 in south asia, 42 percent in africa, and 29 percent in latin america. This discussion piece is based on a literature search and interviews with researchers and practitioners working in the area. Child marriage has been referred to as early marriage or child brides, but these terms are not optimal. Situational analysis in three states 1 1 introduction 1. Unrecognised sexual abuse and exploitation of children in child, early and forced marriage the universal declaration of human rights, 1948 marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. Early marriage among women in developing countries by susheela singh and renee samara t he timing of the first marriage or union is an important dimension of womens reproductive behavior with farreaching consequences, particularly for their reproductive health and social status. Today, over 60 million marriages include girls under the age of 18 years. Addressing early marriage of young and adolescent girls girls in many resourcepoor countries often have little choice about whom or when they marry. Questions and answers on international protecting girls. Forum on marriage and the rights of women and girls 2001. Early marriage is a violation of childrens human rights. Child marriage impedes girls education the education a girl receives is the strongest predictor of the age she will marry, according to icrw analysis in 18 of the 20 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage. The causes, consequences and solutions to forced child.
Pdf effects of child marriage on girls education and. Child brides in southern asia are often forced into early sexual activity and. Girls who had left school by the age of 15 were four times more likely to experience child marriage than girls who were still enrolled. The national strategy on ending child marriage has been developed to guide this process, and aims to address the overwhelming developmental and human rights impediments that are associated with marrying off children while also promoting the realisation of all child rights and child protection services. In 2008, there were 16 million births to mothers aged 1519 years, representing 11% of all births worldwide. Youngtowededucationandactiontowardendingchildmarriage. The right to free and full consent to a marriage is recognised in the 1948 universal declaration of human rights. But when she was 14, her uncle who was raising her, told her she was too old for school. This wicked practice of child marriage has destroyed the happiness of my life.
Key informant interview for general exploration of issues related to child marriage and education 15 7. Thema t unrecognised sexual abuse and exploitation of children in child, early and forced marriage 1 thematic report. Child marriage in sierra leone status overview sierra leone has the 19th highest child marriage rate in the world, with % of girls married by age 15, and 39% by age 18. While much of the impact remains hidden, it is absolutely clear that millions of children and young. Early marriages, adolescent and young pregnancies report by the secretariat 1. Situational analysis on child, early and forced marriage. Child marriage, defined as marriage of a child under 18 years of age, is a silent and yet widespread practice. Situational analysis on child, early and forced marriage in. These acts can be between a child and an adult or a child with another child who by age or development is in a relationship of trust with the other. In january 2012, the executive board at its th session considered an earlier version of this report. Thema t unrecognised sexual abuse and exploitation of children in child, early and forced marriage i table of contents executive summary iv 1. Each of the factors connected to early and child marriage cannot be understood in isolation.
Young lives evidence points to the following conclusions. Although convention on the rights of child declared that any marriage of an under 18 child will be considered as child marriage, the age limit of girls marriage was proposed to change from. How many young girls around the world are impacted by child marriage. Child marriages in india the red elephant foundation december 20 e 4 introduction child marriage refers to the marriage of a child younger than 18 years old,1 in accordance to article 1 of the convention on the right of the child. Child marriage in the middle east and north africa, united. Marry before your house is swept away 7 sifola, age, stands in the home she shares with her husband and inlaws. Also in 2014, the au appointed a goodwill ambassador for ending child marriage and the african committee of experts on.
Early and forced child marriage on girls education, in. Are there certain parts of the world where this practice is common. Early marriages, adolescent and young pregnancies report by the secretariat current global situation 1. Candidate, new england law boston child marriage remains a widely ignored violation of the health and development rights.
Early and forced marriage infringes rights of women and girls globally, undermining initiatives to raise involvement in education, reduce maternal mortality, increase employment and enterprise levels. Despite being prohibited by international law, it continues to rob millions of girls under 18 around the world of their childhood. Girls most at risk each dot represents a country in every region, the poor are most at risk of child marriage percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before age 18, by place of residence child marriage is most common in rural areas 100 80. Collection i abstract this paper deals with the topic of child marriage which is perceived as a harmful traditional practice, directly threatens the rights to education and health as well as personal development and. Today, 51 million girls ages 17 or younger in developing countries are married. Child marriage situation in malaysia submission by. Child spouses, it discusses why early marriage continues, and may even be on the rise among extremely poor populations. Child marriage, on the other hand, involves either one or both spouses being children and may take place under civil, religious or customary laws. Girls by preventing child marriage act, introduced in both the house of. Ending child marriage and meeting the needs of married. Introduction 1 sexual violence against children in child, early and forced marriage 1 2.
Child marriages in india office of the united nations. Forcing children, especially girls, into early marriages can be physically and emotionally harmful, said carolbellamy, the executive director of unicef. Her parents took her out of school and arranged her marriage because they were. In addition, nguyen and wodon 2012c also show that if child marriage and early pregnancies could be eliminated, this could potentially reduce the gender gap in education by about half. About 95% of these births occurred in low and middleincome countries. The causes, consequences and solutions to forced child marriage. Articles relating to child marriageearly marriages in malaysia as reflected by the local media. Forced and early marriage is a form of culturallyjustified violence against women as well as a violation of human rights that is endemic in many countries. Child marriage around the world child, early and forced marriage abbreviated to child. Zimbabwe cosponsored the 2017 human rights council resolution recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts. Early and forced marriage infringes rights of women and girls globally. Child marriage, domestic violence and choice of partner. Ending child marriage a guide for global policy action 5 i am one of those unfortunate hindu women whose hard lot is to suffer the unnameable miseries entailed by the custom of early marriage. Child marriage can be considered a form of forced marriage because children are unable.
Case studies typical cases and outliers 24 question guide. The the causes, consequences and solutions to causes, consequences and solutions tocauses, consequences and solutions to forced forced forced child marriage child marriage child marriage in the developing worldin the developing world testimony submitted to u. House of representatives human rights commissions human rights commission. Child spouses in 2001, exploring both the reasons behind the perpetuation of child marriage and its harmful impact.
In simple terms, child marriage is the marriage of a person aged before majority. The digest provides guidelines towards ending the practice of child marriage through changing attitudes within families and societies, expanding opportunities for education, offering appropriate support to. The term early marriage is used to refer to both formal marriages and informal unions in which a girl lives with a partner as if married before age of 18 unicef 2005. Questions and answers on international protecting girls through preventing child marriage act q. Early and forced marriage and girls education plan uk. For unifpa 2006 early marriage, also known as child.
Child, early, and forced marriage each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18, marking the start of their lives as wives and mothers well before they are physically or emotionally ready. Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide protection, family honor, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a countrys civil registration system. Marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of human rights. Early and child marriage has been a prevalent practice at different points in the history of almost all societies around the globe, including europe, the united states and the middle east. Parental and communal involvement in early and forced child marriage negatively influence girls education, which hinders their. Early marriage does not imply that children are involved, and the term is vague because an early marriage for one society may be considered late by another. Early marriages in middle east and north africa initiative on violence against women, carr center for human rights policy harvard kennedy school of government hayat bearat, j. Early marriage denies girls their right to make vital decisions about their sexual health and wellbeing. In many developing countries, between onehalf and three. Median age at first marriage of women 2549 ranged from 18. Child marriage is a human rights issue, due to the nature of childs consent or lack of consent to.
In 2014 zimbabwe signed a joint statement at the human rights council calling for a resolution on child marriage. Consultation on early and forced marriage and the rights of. The term child brides glorifies the tradition by portraying an image of joy and celebration. Child marriage is not only a violation of a girls rights. Cefm indicates that child and early marriage is taking place at an age, which challenges the ability to give full and free consent, which is considered a form of forced marriage. In may 2014, the african union au launched a campaign to end child marriage in africa, by enhancing continental awareness of its harmful impacts and requiring states to take appropriate legal, social and economic measures to address child marriage.