You’ve probably heard of child marriage before.
But you may not know just how serious the consequences are for women, or how prevalent
the practice is in low-and middle-income countries.
Let me give you the shocking information first.
In 2012, the UN reported that one third of all girls from developing nations are married
before their 18th birthday.
AND 1 in 9 get married before the age of 15.
Early marriage correlates with abuse, rape and pregnancies before girls reach sexual
maturity.
The World Health Organization claims 1 million girls under 15 are giving birth each year.
The problem is that many teen girls, especially under 15, haven’t fully developed physically
yet.
Their pelvises are too small for childbearing.
Compared to women over 20 years old, girls under 15 are five times as likely to die during
pregnancy or childbirth.
Those that don’t die also risk severe and permanent health complications, like urinary
or fecal incontinence and immobility.
In addition to suffering health risks, young brides are usually forced to drop out of school.
Over 60% of child brides in developing countries have no formal education.
Many of these girls come from poor families in patriarchal societies, where women are
seen as a burden.
A family can collect a dowry from the husband, and lose a mouth to feed simultaneously, if
they marry off a young daughter.
And the younger, the better, because it’s more likely they will be virgins.
So, where are child marriages happening?
Mostly in Asia, Africa, and even Latin America.
40% of all cases happen in India because of its huge population.
In Malawi, a national law was passed in February 2015, banning marriage to girls under 18.
For a country where half of all females are child-brides, this is a step in the right
direction.
But local authorities tend to ignore laws like these.
In fact, many developing countries already have laws where the age of consent for marriage
is 18 or higher - but nobody follows them.
Overall, the international rate of child marriage is declining little by little.
As poorer communities gain industry and better education, girls are more likely to stay in
school and marry later.
Female empowerment is a crucial step in improving developing countries.
The 2015 African Union summit’s theme represents this sentiment.
Hey!
So we’ve been working on a bunch of awesome new content, and it’s finally ready.
You’ll definitely want to see this story about people taking huge risks just to get
the perfect instagram photo.
Click the first link in the top of the description to check it out!