Child Marriage

Present time, child marriage is a curse in the global society. Child marriage is a violation of human rights. In most cases young girls get married off to significantly older men when they are still children. Child marriages must be 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. Child marriage must therefore always be considered forced marriage because valid consent is absent – and often considered unnecessary. Child marriage is common practice in India, Niger, Bangladesh, Pakistan Guinea, Burkina Faso, Africa and Nepal, where mostly girls are married below the age of 18.

Consequences of child marriage

Child marriage has...show more content...

Human Rights Violation

Child marriage is a violation of human rights and is prohibited by a number of international conventions and other instruments. Nonetheless, it is estimated that in the next ten years more than 100 million girls are likely to be married before the age of 18. There are universal rules for the marriage and rules against the childe marriage. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that men and women of full age are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending parties.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination of Women (1979) states that the betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, should be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory. In their general recommendations of 1994, the Committee considers that the minimum age for marriage should be 18 years for both men and women.

Solution

We call on all governments to take all necessary action to end child marriage by: The full implementation of the above mentioned Human Rights Conventions. Adopting a clear and unambiguous position on child and forced marriages. Introducing laws to rise the legal age of marriage to 18 years as

Child marriage is a complex issue that has been taking place for decades across many countries, religions, and cultures. The UNCIEF defines child marriage as "the formal marriage or informal union before the age of 18" (UNICEF, 2016). From data released by UNICEF in 2016, it is stated that more than 1 in 3 – or some 250 million – girls were married before the age of 15 (UNICEF, 2016). Although childmarriage has been decreasing in the past three decades, the number of child marriage victims is still very high. Even though this is a worldwide issue, we see that this is most prevalent in developing nations, including many South Asian countries such asSri Lanka. This can be heavily tied to many avenues of intersectionality. In the book...show more content...

This can be backed up by the cultural and religious practices that take place. There is also a belief that a child's life is more secure and safe after marriage. Based on the information and data collected on child marriage trends in Sri Lanka, this literature review briefly outlines the many subsections of intersectionality and how that has shaped the current and future of child marriage in Sri Lanka. One of the biggest aspects of intersectionality that plays a big role in child marriage is gender. From a report released by the UNICEF in 2014, it is claimed that both boys and girls are victims of child marriage. However, girls are more disproportionately affected (UNICEF, 2016). There can be many reasons leading to gender being significant in this case. One of those many reasons could be the role of women in Sri Lanka, which is also common amongst many other South Asian countries. Majority of the women in Sri Lanka are expected to hold traditional roles. According to a research, The Changing Role of Women in Sri Lankan Society conducted by Malathi de Alwis, Sri Lankan women are "constructed as the reproducers, nurturers, and disseminators of 'tradition,' 'culture,' 'community,' and 'nation'" (De Alwis, 2002). Hence, giving a girl in marriage at an earlier age means that the family is preparing her for the role as a homemaker and a caregiver to her husband. This expectation coincides more with the traditional role of a woman, rather than women

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