"Premature pregnancy and motherhood are an inevitable consequence of child

marriage. Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and
childbirth than women in their twenties." -State of the World's Children 2007, UNICEF

UNICEF defines child marriage as marriage before 18 years of age and considers this
practise as a violation of human rights. The harmful consequences of child marriage are
segregation from family and friends, limiting the child's interactions with the community
and peers, lack of opportunities for education. Girl children often face situations of
bonded labour, enslavement, commercial sexual exploitation and violence as a result of
child marriage. Because of lack of protection child brides are often exposed to serious
health risks, early pregnancy, and various STDs especially HIV/AIDS. There are many
reasons why parents consent to child marriage such as economic necessity, male
protection for their daughters, child bearing, or oppressive traditional values and norm

Child marriage is a global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and
ethnicities. It denies girls their rights to health, to live in security and to choose when
and whom they marry. It cuts short girls education and traps them, their families and
their communities in a cycle of poverty.

Child marriage is a gross human rights violation that puts young girls at risk and keeps them mired
in poverty. Unfortunately, this problem is more prevalent than you might think more than 60 million
girls under the age of 18 are married, many to men twice their age or older. If child marriage continues
at its current rate, an additional 100 million girls in developing countries will be married within the
next decade. That's 25,000 new child brides every single day for the next 10 years.

Poverty plays a central role in causing and perpetuating early marriage. Poor countries and families
often have few resources to support healthy alternatives for girls, such as schooling. In such families
with limited resources, child marriage is often seen as a way to provide for their daughter's future.
However, girls who marry young have an increased chance of being poor and remaining poor.

Marrying at a young age has lifelong consequences. Early marriage thwarts her chances at education,
endangers her health and cuts short her personal growth and development. Maternal health risks are
particularly troubling as risk of death in pregnancy and delivery for girls under the age of 15 is five
times higher than for women in their 20s.

Taken together, the costs of this practice are too high to be ignored; societies cannot progress when
even the common practice of marriage dooms girls and women to a life of poverty.

CHILD MARRIAGE AROUND THE WORLD

If present trends continue, 142 million girls will marry over the next decade. Thats
38,000 girls married every day for the next 10 years.
POVERTY AND CHILD MARRIAGE
Girls living in poor households are almost twice as likely to marry before 18 than girls in
higher income households.
More than half of the girls in Bangladesh, Mali, Mozambique and Niger are married
before age 18. In these same countries, more than 75 percent of people live on less than $2
a day.
EDUCATION AND CHILD MARRIAGE
Girls with higher levels of schooling are less likely to marry as children. In Mozambique,
some 60 percent of girls with no education are married by 18, compared to 10 percent of
girls with secondary schooling and less than one percent of girls with higher education.
Educating adolescent girls has been a critical factor in increasing the age of marriage in
a number of developing countries, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.
HEALTH AND CHILD MARRIAGE
Girls younger than 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their
20s. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death worldwide for women ages 15 to 19.
Child brides face a higher risk of contracting HIV because they often marry an older man
with more sexual experience. Girls ages 15 19 are 2 to 6 times more likely to contract HIV
than boys of the same age in sub-Saharan Africa.
VIOLENCE AND CHILD MARRIAGE
Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence than their
peers who marry later. A study conducted by ICRW in two states in India found that girls who
were married before 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped or threatened by
their husbands than girls who married later.
Child brides often show signs symptomatic of sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress
such as feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and severe depression.
RELIGION AND CHILD MARRIAGE
No one religious affiliation was associated with child marriage, according to a 2007
ICRW study. Rather, a variety of religions are associated with child marriage in countries
throughout the world.
ccording to the 2001 census there are 1.5 million girls, in India, under the age of 15
already married. Of these, 20% or approximately 300,000 are mothers to at least
one child. The 2001 census also estimated the average age of marriage has risen
to 18.3 for females. The male average is 22.6 years. But child marriage is still
widespread across the nation. States like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andra Pradesh still have average age
of marriage below the legal age of eighteen for females. Because of the early and
often closely timed pregnancies before their bodies are able to handle the stress of
pregnancy, adolescent mothers give birth prematurely or to low weight babies. The
health of the child and mother are at risk and often they do not survive. Child
marriage also makes girls more vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual abuse and
inability to complete primary education. It is also found that infant mortality rates
are higher than the national average in the states where child marriage is highly
prevalent.

According to NFHS-III survey 47.3% of women aged 20-24 were married by age 18.
Of these, 2.6 percent were married before they turned 13, 22.6 percent were
married before they were 16, and 44.5 percent were married when they were
between 16 and 17. In some states the percentage is quite high: Rajasthan 65.2%,
Uttar Pradesh 58.6%, Madhya Pradesh 57.3%, Jharkhand 63.2%, Chhattisgarh 55%,
Bihar 69% and Andra Pradesh 54.8%.The states where prevalence is low are
Himachal Pradesh 12.3%, Punjab 19.7%, and Kerala 15.4%.

Child marriage in India has grave implications for population control as adolescent
brides are likely to have high fertility and a number of unwanted pregnancies.
States where child marriage is most prevalent is also where there is the highest
population. Child marriage is low among women who have had access to higher
education and secondary education. Marriages in India are often unregistered, and
are socially binding if not legally, which makes it hard to survey.

In 2006 the government of India update legislations regarding child marriage and
passed the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 popularly known as the Sarda Act after its sponsor Rai
Sahib Harbilas Sarda to the British India Legislature in India was passed on 28 September
1929, fixed the age of marriage for girls at 14 years and boys at 18 years. It came into effect six
months later on April 1, 1930 and it applies to all of British India, not just to Hindus.[1][2][3] It was a
result of social reform movement in India. The legislation was passed by the British Indian
Government.

Significance [edit]

It was the first social reform issue which was taken up by the organized women in India. They
played a major role in the development of argument and actively used the device of political
petition and in the process contributed in the field of politics.[4]

The various organized women associations got the opportunity of playing independent political
role when the cautious British India government, under the pressure of the world opinion, the
social reformist in India and Nationalist freedom fighters, referred the Sharda's Bill (Hindu Child
Marriage Bill) to a select committee of ten headed by Sir Moropant Visavanath Joshi. The All
India Women's Conference, Women's India Association and National Council of Women in
India, through their members developed and articulated the argument in favour of raising of the
age for marriage and consent before the Joshi Committee
142 MILLION

If we do nothing, by the end of the decade an estimated 142 million girls will be married as
children.

1 IN 3 GIRLS

In the developing world are said to be married before 18.

400 MILLION

Globally, almost 400 million women aged 20-49 were married before 18. child marriage
happen?

Tradition:

Child marriage is a traditional practice that in many places happens simply because it has
happened for generations and straying from tradition could mean exclusion from the
community. But as Graa Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela, says, traditions are made by people
we can change them.

Gender Roles:

In many communities where child marriage is practised, girls are not valued as much as boys
they are seen as a burden. The challenge will be to change parents attitudes and emphasise that
girls who avoid early marriage and stay in school will likely be able to make a greater
contribution to their family and their community in the long term.

Poverty:

Where poverty is acute, giving a daughter in marriage allows parents to reduce family expenses
by ensuring they have one less person to feed, clothe and educate. In communities where a
dowry or bride price is paid, it is often welcome income for poor families; in those where the
brides family pay the groom a dowry, they often have to pay less money if the bride is young
and uneducated.

Security:

Many parents marry off their daughters young because they feel it is in her best interest, often to
ensure her safety in areas where girls are at high risk of physical or sexual assault.
Individual Rights Denied by Child Marriage

The Convention on the Rights of the Child are designed to guarantee certain individual
rights--which are abused by early marriage. Rights undermined or lost by children forced to
marry early are:

The right to an education.

The right to be protected from physical and mental violence, injury or abuse,
including sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation.
The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.
The right to rest and leisure, and to participate freely in cultural life.
The right to not be separated from parents against the child's will.

Every year, an estimated 14 million girls are married before they turn 18.Robbed of
their childhood, denied their rights to health, education and security.

Child marriage is a global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities.
It denies girls their rights to health, to live in security and to choose when and whom they marry.
It cuts short girls education and traps them, their families and their communities in a cycle of
poverty.

Girls Not Brides is a global partnership to end child marriage, bringing together non-
governmental organisations from around the world that work to tackle child
marriage at the grassroots, national and global levels.

Girls Not Brides now has over 200 members across more than 40 countries.
Members are based throughout Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and
North America and are united by a commitment to end child marriage and enable
girls to fulfil their potential.

Girls Not Brides and its members believe that we can be more effective working
together than working alone. We aim to raise our collective voice to shatter the
silence that has long surrounded the issue of child marriage and draw attention to
its harmful impact.

Together, we aim to give a voice to girls at risk of child marriage, to defend their
rights to health and education, and to give them the opportunities they need to fulfil
their potential.

We also aim to support children who are or have been victims of child marriage, to
increase awareness of the scale and impact of child marriage, and to mobilise the
support and resources needed to end child marriage. Our partnership will maximise
our collective impact by pooling efforts and resources, energies and experience.
ICRW is a leader among organizations advocating for the United States to become more
involved in curbing child marriage. ICRW is working with the U.S. Congress and the
administration to raise the profile of this issue and bring more national and international support
to end this harmful traditional practice.

On May 24, 2012, the United States Senate passed the International Protecting Girls by
Preventing Child Marriage Act (S.414). The bill was passed unanimously by voice vote,
demonstrating strong bipartisan support for an end to child marriage, a practice that denies 14
million girls a year their rights to health, education and security.

The legislation contains the same provisions that unanimously passed the Senate in 2010.
The legislation would authorize U.S. foreign assistance funding to prevent child marriage and
provide educational and economic opportunities to girls in the developing world. The policy
would help protect girls human rights by:

Establishing a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries and

promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage

Requiring the State Department to report on this harmful practice in its annual human
rights report

Integrating child marriage prevention efforts into existing development programs

ICRW has advocated for the passage of the child marriage prevention bill since 2006, and
continues to work with Congress and the administration to find evidence-based solutions to this
gross human rights violation.

The Elders are committed to promoting equality between women and men, girls and boys, in all
aspects of life. They are particularly concerned by the frequent misuse of religious and
traditional beliefs to justify and perpetuate gender discrimination.

Child marriage is an important focus of this work. Ending this harmful practice is essential to
protect the rights of women and girls and to improve maternal and child health, education and
empowerment in developing societies worldwide. The practice of child marriage is declining
slowly. However, with an estimated 10 million underage girls married off each year, The Elders
believe this process can and must be accelerated and that this requires a concerted,
international effort.

Because I am a Girl is a global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls

rights and lift millions of girls and everyone around them out of poverty.
Girls in the poorest regions of the world are among the most disadvantaged people
on the planet. They are more likely to live in poverty, more likely to be denied
access to education, more likely to be denied medical care, and more likely to be
malnourished, simply because theyre girls. And yet, studies show that if you give a
girl enough to eat, an education and a safe environment, shell work to raise the
standard of living for herself, her family and her community.

The Because I am a Girl initiative was founded by Plan International, one of the
oldest and largest international charities in the world. Founded in 1937, Plan has
supported boys and girls in the developing world for over 75 years through
collaboration with children, their families, and their communities.

Educating and empowering girls

Education is one of the most powerful tools to delay the age at which girls marry as
school attendance helps shift norms around child marriage.

Improving girls access to quality schooling will increase girls chances of gaining a
secondary education and helps to delay marriage. When a girl in the developing
world receives seven or more years of education, she marries on average four years
later.

Empowering girls, by offering them opportunities to gain skills and education,

providing support networks and creating safe spaces where girls can gather and
meet outside the home, can help girls to assert their right to choose when they
marry.

Girls Not Brides members are working to empower girls by establishing girls groups
that provide a safe space for girls to meet and share experiences, reducing their
sense of isolation and vulnerability.

Related posts:

Mobilising and educating communities

Laws alone wont end child marriage in many instances legislation is not enforced
as many local authorities are reluctant to be seen as interfering in the private affairs
of families. Many are simply unaware of the scale of child marriage and the harmful
impact it can have.

Girls Not Brides members are working in a number of ways to raise awareness
among communities of the impact of child marriage such as street theatre, bicycle
rallies, and encouraging community dialogue, which often results in a collective
community pledge to end child marriage.
Related posts:

Enacting and enforcing laws that set a legal minimum age for marriage

While most countries legislate for a minimum legal age for marriage, this is often not
enforced. Some countries continue to have a legal age for marriage lower than in
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The legal age for marriage is also
higher for men than women in many countries.
RADHA BHAMWARI, 15, OBSERVES HERSELF IN A CRACKED MIRROR THE DAY
BEFORE HER WEDDING. THREE YOUNG SISTERS RADHA BHAMWARI, 15, GORA
BHAMWARI, 13, AND RAJNI BHAMWARI, 5, WERE MARRIED TO THEIR YOUNG
GROOMS, WHO WERE ALSO SIBLINGS, ON THE HINDU HOLY DAY OF AKSHAYA
TRITIYA, CALLED AKHA TEEJ IN NORTH INDIA. DESPITE LEGISLATION FORBIDDING
CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA (CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT ACT-1929) AND THE MUCH
MORE PROGRESSIVE PROHIBITION OF CHILD MARRIAGE ACT (2006) AND MANY
INITIATIVES TO PREVENT CHILD MARRIAGE, MARRYING CHILDREN OFF AT A VERY
TENDER AGE CONTINUES TO BE ACCEPTED BY LARGE SECTIONS OF SOCIETY.
Ran Country Name % girls married
k before 18
1 Niger 75
2 Chad 72
3 Bangladesh 66
4 Guinea 63
5 Central African 61
Republic
6 Mali 55
7 Mozambique 52
8 Malawi 50
9 Madagascar 48
10 Sierra Leone 48
11 Burkina Faso 48
12 India 47
13 Eritrea 47
14 Uganda 46
15 Somalia 45
16 Nicaragua 43
17 Zambia 42
18 Ethiopia 41
19 Nepal 41
20 Dominican 40
Republic