Effects of Early girl child marriage free essay sample

Today child marriage are fairly wide spread in developing areas of the world, especially in Africa, South Asia, South east and East Asia, West Asia, Latin America and Oceania. The incidence rates of child marriage have been falling in most parts of the world. The five nations with the highest observed rates of child marriages in the world, below THE AGE OF 18, ARE Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh and Guniea. The top three nations with greater than 20% rates of child marriages below the age of 15 are Niger, Bangladesh and Guniea. As many as 1 in 3 girls in developing areas of the world are married before reaching the age of 18 and in estimated 1 in 9 girls in developing countries are married by age of 15. One of the most common causes of death for girls 15 to 19 in developing countries was pregnancy and child birth comparing these statistical facts to rate of early marriage in Nigeria, shows that the practice is not as rampant there, as other parts of Africa and the world that practice it in Nigeria, it still takes place in some pats of the country especially the Northern parts and this according to survey is still one of the major factors feeling poverty in Nigeria. In early child marriage, a girl child is being pressured or sometimes forced into marriage. Child marriages are viewed within a context of force and coercion, involving pressure and emotional blackmail, and children that lack the choice or capacity to give their full consent Osward L. (2009), it is relevant to study the major causes and effects of early marriage in order to enlighten people about the dangers in contracting such marriages where girls involved are not matured to carry out family responsibilities but were still pushed into marriage due to one reason or the other. This seminar paper aims at study a topic which is seen as a social problem in contemporary Nigeria Society. In the course of study. We will try to expantiate on the historical background of early child marriage, causes, effects and recommendations which will positively help in the reduction of early child marriage rate in Nigeria. DEFINITION According To UNICEP(2011) Child marriage is defined as a formal or informal union or marriage before the age of 18. While child marriage affects both sexes, girls are disproportionately affected as they are the majority of the victims. Child marriage is now widely recognized as a result of the practice the child bride is often deprived of her basic right to health, education, development and equality. Tradition, religion and poverty continue to fuel the practice of child marriage, despite its strong association with adverse reproductive health outcomes and the lack of education of girls. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF EARLY GIRL CHILD MARRIAGE Before modern history child marriage was a common practice found everywhere in the world. With the advent of 20th century, the practice began to be questioned, discouraged by a majority but not all governments and child marriage practice has been declining across the world. In ancient and medieval societies, girls would be bethrothed at / or before puberty. In Greece, early wedding and early motherhood for girls was encouraged (nancy demand 1994). In ancient Rome girls married above the age 12. In the middle ages, under English civil laws that was derived from Roman laws, marriage before the age 16 were common, in imperial child marriage was the norm, according to Zhaoiz (1997) Most religions, over history influenced the marriageable age, for example Christian ecelestiastical law forbade marriage of a girl before the age of 10, because sharia law is based in part on the life and practices of muhammed the prophet. COMPARISON OF EARLY CHILD MARRIAGE (BY) AFRICAN REGION According to UNICEF, African ha the highest incidence rates of child marriage, with over 70% of girls is marrying under the ages of 18. This report is based on data that was derived from a small sample survey between 1995 and 2004. In morocco, child marriage is a common practice, in 2013, Nigeria attempted to change section 29, subsection on 4 of its laws and thereby prohibit child marriages. This was opposed by Islamic States of Nigeria, who called any attempts to prohibit early child marriage â€Å"Un- Islamic†. Christianity and Islam are practiced by roughly equal percentage of its population respectively and the country continues with personal laws from its British Colonial era laws, where child marriages are forbidden for its Christians and allowed for its Muslims. CAUSES OF EARLY GIRL CHILD MARRIAGE In Nigeria, which is currently facing economic difficulties and political instability age at marriage has barely risen, and in the north of the country the average age has fallen since 1990. In West Africa, as a whole a recent UNICEF study shows that economic hardship is encouraging a rise in early marriage, even among some population groups that do not normally practice it. Men are postponing marriage because of lack of resources, and parents have become anxious about the danger of their daughters becoming pregnant outside marriage. Thus any early opportunity for marriage may be seized upon pressures from child-related social stress such as increasing child slavery and trafficking, rising numbers of children on the streets, very young prostitutes and labourers, and high levels of child neglect ad abandonment, are believed to have put early child marriage on the rise. Families in refugee camps in Burundi, for example, protect their honour by marrying their daughters off as early as possible. Reports from Irag indicate that early marriage is rising there in response to poverty inflicted by the post- Gulf war, sanctions, and in Afghaqnistan, war and militarization have led to an increased number of forced marriage of young girls. Other pressure can promote early marriage in societies understress. Fear of HIV infection, for example, has encouraged men in some African contries to seek youg virgin, and therefore uninfected partners. Early marriage is one way to ensure that a wife is â€Å"protected† , or placed firmly under male control, that she is submissive to her husband and works hard for her in-laws’ household, that the children she bears are â€Å"legitimate†, and that bonds of affection between couples do not undermine the family unit. Parents may genuinegly feel that their daughters will be better off and safer with a regular male guardian. Inn conflict – northern Uganda for example , some families marry their young daughters to militia members in order to defend family honour or secure â€Å"protection† for themselves and the girl. One important impetus for marrying girls at an early age is that it helps prevent premarital sex. Many societies prize virginity before marriage and this can manifest itself in a number of practices designed to â€Å" protect† a girl from unsactioned sexual activity . other practices are also carried out to â€Å"control† e. g in North – East Africa and parts of the middle East in particular the practice of female genital mutiliation (FGM) – surgically restricting entry to the vagina or removing the clitoris, to restrict sexual pleasure and temptation. These practices are all intended to shield the girl from male sexual intention, but in the eyes of concerned parents, marriage is seen to offer the ultimate â€Å"protective† measure. EFFECTS OF EARLY GIRL CHILD MARRIAGE Young girls may endure misery as a result of early marriage and he number of those who would seek help, if they though it existed, is possible to calculate. One thing is clear, the impact or effect of early girl child marriage is under ranging. Within a rights perspective, three key aspects are:? The denial of childhood and adolescence. ? The curtailment of personal freedom and the lack of opportunity to develop a full sense of selfhood as well as the denial of psychosocial and emotional well-being, reproductive health and educational opportunity. Early marriage also has implications for the well-being of families, and for society as a whole, where girls are uneducated and ill-prepared for their roles as mothers and contributors to the society. The next few paragraphs will give a more inndepth insight into same of the effects. PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECT The loss of adolescence, the forced sexual relations and the denial of freedom and personal development attendant on early marriage have profound psychosocial and emotional consequences. Most girls who are unhappy in an imposed marriage are very isolated. They have nobody to talk to as they are surrounded by people who endorse their situation. In Ethiopia, inter-African committee researches were struck by the lack of interest from elders in the traumas suffered by young girls as a result of early marriages, premature sex and child bearing. These traumas were regarded as an â€Å"unavoidable part of life† girls who run home to their parents may be beaten and sent back to their husbands. Distress is generally endured in silence. The child bride who is widowed at a yong age can suffer (social inequities). Widows suffer loss of status and they, along with their children, are often denied property rights, and a range of other human rights. In parts of Africa, Nigeria inclusive, a widow is remarried to a brother-in-law to provide economic and social support. If the widow resists, she may be cast out by the family. Child widows with little education and no means of earning are especially powerless. ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND REPRODUCTION The risks of early pregnancy and child birth are well documented increased like mortality. Increase risk of premature labour, complications during delivery low birth, weight, and a higher chance that the newborn will not survive pregnancy related deaths are the leading cause of mortality for 15-19 year old girls worldwide. Mothers in this age group face a 20 to 100 percent greater chance of dying in pregnancy than women aged 20 to 24 some specific local studies show worse outcomes for the very young mother in Zaria, Nigeria, national mortalities among women. Younger than 16 was found to be six times higher than for women aged 20 – 24 and similar findings have been reported from high rates of vesico – vagita fistula (VVF) are clearly, dentified with marriage and child bearing in the 10-15 year old age group. Mothers whose pelvis and birth canal are not fully developed often endure very prolonged labour. Unless the mother receives emergency obstetric care, relentless pressure from the baby’s skull can damage the birth canal, causing breakages in the wall, allowing uncontrollable leakage from the bladder in the vagina. The prevalence of VVF is not fully known, but WHO the world health organization estimates that there are two million women living with fistulas and an additional 50,000,000,000 new cases every year, many of which go in treated. In Nigeria , where the condition affects around 150,000 women, 80 -90 percent of wives with V V F are divorced by their husbands. Infant mortality rate, denial of education are results of early pregnancy in young mothers of early pregnancy in young mothers. The UK working group on forced marriage found that many of the victims of this practice suffered from prolonged domestic violence, but felt unable to leave the marriage because of economic pressures, lack of family support and other social circumstances. Most available information on violent abuse is anecdotal consisting of interviews with girls who have suffered trauma as a result of their marriages. A study in Jordan, published in 2000 found that 26 percent of reported cases of domestic violence were committed against wives under 18. Early marriage is often linked to wife abandonment as shown by its association with divorce and separation. Violent behavior towards a wife, including coercive sex, plays a major role in marital breakdown. Divorce or abandonment often plunges a woman into poverty, as she usually assumes sole responsibilities for dependent children. If she married young is under-educated and has few income generating skills, her poverty may be acute. In Mexico, young mothers are six times more likely to be living in poverty that those who postponed childbearing. This early marriage contributes to the â€Å"Feminization of Poverty† and its resulting impact on children. RECOMMENDATIONS PREVENTION AND CONTROL. Knowing the cause of early girl child marriage, we can say it can be prevented and controlled through the following. ? Better health care system for all citizen, affordability and accessibility of education in areas which early girl child marriage is predominant. ? Elimination of gender gaps in school enrollment. ? Massive enlightenment campaign on family planning and giving birth to he number if children one can cater for. ? Public awareness should be created, about the dangers inherent in child marriages as a violation of girls human appropriate legislations put in place to punish offenders ? Advocacy NURSING IMPLICATION 1. ADVOCACY Nurses an serve as advocates for victims or young girls who are about to be forced into marriage . 2. HEALTH EDUCATION Nurses can give health talk on family planning to couples to only give birth to children they can cater for, so as to reduce the prevalence of early child marriage. 3. COUNSELING Nurses can serve as counselors to victims. They can assist them to come out of their problems and help them to make decisions that would be of benefit to them and children, if any. 4. SUPPORT GROUP Women or girls who have gone through or experienced early child marriage can form a group to give moral support to one another. SUMMARY Definition of early child marriage, rates of practice in developing countries including Nigeria, how early child marriage came to be and the rate in reduction over time, have all been analyzed. Also, we made comparison of early child marriage in Nigeria with morocco as a country in Africa and how it is practiced mostly by Islamic states compared to Christianity. The causes of early child marriage as well as its effect was duely emphasized on as these are the main contents of the practice. They are wide ranging and impactful on either the decrease or increase in incidents rate of early child marriage. Some of the causes and effects we mentioned are poverty, protection of child, denial of education, pregnancy and child birth complications amongst others. Finally, we gave our recommendations to preventions and control of this practice which is killing innocent girls and rubbing most of them off their future, and the future of Nigeria. CONCLUSION The imposition of a marriage partner on children or adolescents who are in no way ready for marriage and who marriage will deprive of freedom opportunity for personal development and other rights including health and well being, education and participation in civic life, nullifies the meaning of the core protection for those concerned unless measures are taken to address early marriage , it will remain a major stumbling block to the achievement of human rights. This seminar is intended merely as a starting point, drawing more attention to a practice that has been neglected by both women and children’s right campaigners in recent decades. It is hoped that it will provide an incentive for a campaign to prevent early marriage and end the silent misery of millions of girls in many countries around the world, to open up new horizons for them, and contributes to the development of politics programmes and advocacy to bring this about or to reality. REFERENCES A CHOICE BY RIGHT: the Report of the working group on forced marriage (2000), UK Government, home office. Abrahams I. (2005) Jewish life in the middle age root ledge (183-189) Angela H. (2001) early marriage: child spouses. The innocent digests (7) 10-14. Ayres, B. Drummond (2000), marriages advised in some youth pregnancies, New York times. Black Maggie (2000) growing up alone: The hidden cost of poverty, UNICEF UK. Causes of early child marriage, retrieved from: www. Forwarduk. org. uk Child marriage retrieved from : en. m. wikipedia org/wikil CRIN, Rabat (2011) Morrocco: underage marriages increase. Definition of child marriage, retrieved from: ww. ask. com Ini eicott (2013) Nigeria : Senate denies child marriage wrong doings, says law may be revisited . All Africa premium times. Mensah, Barbara S. Judith Bruce and Margaret S. Greene (2002) The uncharted passage: Girls Adolescence in the developing world, the population Council, New work. UNICEF (2000), Personal communication, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic UNICEF (2011_ child marriage Zhao Z. (2001) Demographic system in historic CLMA, Australian Population Association 14 (2) 201 232