Ayesha Farooq
Child marriages are increasing day by day and millions of girls worldwide are married annually before the age of 18. What is child marriage basically? Child marriage is any formal marriage or informal union where one of both parties are under 18 years of age. Each year many girls are married before the age of 18.
To me there are some basic reasons behind early marriages.
GENDER INEQUALITY: The low value placed on girls in many cultures limits their educational and employment opportunities. So boys’ preference over girls means parents don’t invest in their in daughters’ education, seeing child marriage as the only alternative.
POVERTY: Poor families with many children marry their daughters because they can’t afford to feed, clothes and education sometimes girls believe that marriages will be a solution to secure their future.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS: Child marriage is a fundamental violation of human rights. Girls develop mental health besides adverse health effects” as a result of early pregnancy (teenage pregnancy) and child birth. This is all deadly for teenage girls.
And the girls who get married in young age are at high risk of divorce because they are changing a lot from year to year and their thinking level also changes.
EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS TO HELP AVOID CHILD MARRIAGE: The educated girl becomes more powerful because education provides her skills knowledge and confidence to take decisions of her life.
CHILD MARRIAGE CAN BE ELIMINATED THROUGH EDUCATION: Working everyday to get more girls enrolled in schools is the permanent solution to overcome child marriages. Girls not only get education in schools, they also improve their education level for better future opportunities.
— The writer is staff member and a student of BS Media Studies
