Child Brides

Independent Study Unit:
CHILD BRIDES
Frank
Avery Frank
Ms. Aylesworth
24 May 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Summary of Research Methods - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Definition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Significance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11
Religion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20
Background - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27
Experts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30
Role of Control - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36
Logic of Evil - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 43
Case Studies
Yemen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 47
Niger - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 52
Brazil - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 57
International Organizations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 62
Connections to Canada - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 68
Solutions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 72
Conclusion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 75
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PREFACE
Marriage is the legal binding of two people under religion, state, or law. In North
America, two people agree to marriage, happily and willingly at that. If marriage is a prospect
that is not welcome for either of the people in the relationship, either one has the ability to
exercise their freedom to say so, under the Constitution of that country. In Canada, one must be
of eighteen years of age to be legally bound to another person. In other words, the legal consent,
personal freedom and dignity of the people is substantially considered by the government.
In western society, marriage is seen as a ceremonious act of love. Many associate
marriage with joy. It is for this reason that the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada and
the United States was fought for so persistently until it was legalized in Canada in 2005, and the
United States in 2015. It is also for this reason that there was such a celebration over the fact that
finally two people, no matter their sexual orientation, were allowed to legitimize their
relationship under the state law. Marriage is important to many; it symbolizes a lifelong
commitment of loyalty and partnership with another person. There is a high value placed on
being recognized as a single unit, bound by something that psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud would
call our Id: the first instinct that every human becomes familiar with and seeks - the innate
ability to love.1
For females in the developing world, the story is very different. Marriage does not
necessarily hold the same positive connotation. It is often no longer associated with lifelong joy,
comfort, and emotional contentment. The basis of marriage is rarely a relationship built on
respect or trust. In developing nations, marriages where both man and woman are held to the
1 Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sig
mund Freud (Vol. 19, pp. 3 - 66). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923)
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same status are few and far between. It is not hard for one to put two and two together; the
history of female rights globally make it glaringly obvious which gender is at the disadvantage.
In continents such as Asia, Africa and South America, marriage is just another subtitle under the
metaphorical book of womens rights issues in developing countries. This time though the
victims are young girls whose fates have been decided before they are even born.
For young girls in impoverished countries, marriage is a reality that continues to creep
closer and closer to the girl without her knowing. It brings with it the cessation of anything and
everything that once made the girl happy. In a moment, freedom, family, friends, safety, health,
innocence and education are ripped from the girl, unbeknownst to her. They can be pulled out of
school immediately and married to a man up to five times their age. Woken in the middle of the
night, a bag tied over their head as they are taken to their fiances house, making it very difficult
to find their way home if they try to escape. The ceremony is quick, because often it is illegal. In
one night, this little girls life has been uprooted and drastically changed, unbeknownst to the
child. She is now property of her husband. She is subjected to violence, rape and responsibilities,
all excused because the man who inflicts these things on her is her husband through union. Her
body, which has just begun growing itself, now houses something that grows; a child, who is a
product of statutory rape. A future of education and freedom of her own body is replaced by
confinement to a house, motherhood, and belonging to a husband.
In Western culture, engaging in sexual conduct with a child is called pedophilia. In the
developing countries of Africa, Asia, Central/South America, marrying a child is socially
acceptable, and too often, expected. This report will focus largely on child brides, as they are the
ones who are most commonly victims of the practice. Specific case studies from countries with
some of the highest rates of child brides will also be examined; Yemen, Niger, and Brazil. In
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addition, this report will outline the ripple effect that child marriage has on not only the victim,
but their family, village, country, and indirectly, the world.
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When we think of slavery, the institution of marriage rarely comes to mind. However, the
denial of basic human rights and the enslavement of women and girls continue on a widespread
scale, often centering on marriage.2
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH METHODS
2 Sapoznik, K. (2011). Forced Marriage: An under recognized poorly understood form of enslavement. ActiveHistory.ca. Retrieved from
activehistory.ca/tag/forced-marriage
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This report includes information on child brides and the practice of early marriage. The
research conducted for this issue-based report has been collected from various media sources,
such as websites of international and non-government organizations, PDF files, videos (youtube,
TED Talks, documentaries), and a memoir, I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. Youtube videos
are especially effective because they offer visuals and harsh accounts of the reality of the child
bride in the twenty-first century.
This report includes both qualitative and quantitative evidence, from well-known sources
as well as legitimate recounts from women who speak from personal experience. Interviews from
experts with bachelor degrees and PhDs in social or political science, international development,
and womens studies have also been sourced. The more significant information collected was
confirmed using two sources to ensure accuracy. All secondary sources involved in the research
of this report are reliable and scholarly sources, and/or information that has been published by
organizations such as UNFPA, UNICEF, United Nations, Because I am a Girl, International
Centre for Research on Women, and Girls Not Brides. The database ProQuest was also utilized
to ensure that the information collected is reliable and academic.
DEFINITION
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The United States imposes a minimum age of alcohol consumption at twenty-one years
of age. Canada, on the other hand, has a legal drinking age of eighteen. This is simply because
each country has its own concept of what age is appropriate for someone to legally consume
alcohol. The same ideology applies to laws regarding child marriage. To Canadians, what seems
an unsuitable age for one to be married seems normal for people in many developing nations. It
would be ignorant to discuss child marriage while implying that every country views marriage
and the children involved in the same way. This is because each countrys definition of a female
child is different. In many areas, as soon as a girl reaches puberty she is automatically seen as an
adult. This is because she is physically able to reproduce. In fact, in India especially, marriage is
seen as a transition into adulthood. Therefore, instead of adulthood coming first, marriage does.
After that the girl is considered a woman, even if she has not reached her teenage years.3 Because
how the girl child is viewed is relative to individual countries, for the purpose of this report the
topic of child marriage and the girls involved will be discussed from the biased view of a
developed country, as such countries are the ones who often set the standards for quality of living
and human rights around the world.
Child marriage can also be referred to as early or forced marriage. It is most commonly
defined as the formal union under religion or law of someone under the age of 18 to someone
who is over the age of 18. In some cases, however, it can be informal and not documented or
witnessed. Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence. The practice of early/forced/child
marriage occurs in every undeveloped country, is rampant in far too many (despite only being
completely legal in Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Yemen4), and even still happens in some
3 Lobenstine, D. (2015). Early and Child Marriage in India: A Landscape Analysis. PDF Document. Retrieved from http://
www.nirantar.net/public/site/files/EM_Report_30-4-15.pdf
4 Kazhan, O. (2015). A Strange Map of the Worlds Child-Marriage Laws. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/
international/archive/2015/03/child-marriage-map/387214/
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developed countries. It violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was enacted
in 1948 by the United Nations and applies to all countries in the world. In addition, it violates the
1978 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which is
also an international agreement curtailing the inequity and injustice against women globally.5
A girl involved in forced marriage may be told about it before the ceremony happens.
She may have also seen her peers be married off and understand the possibility that she may
share a similar fate. Some girls (albeit few) even see it as an honour and look forward to the
prospect of being married. Nonetheless, the reality for most girls who are child brides is that they
are not aware that it is happening until the ceremony, ensuring that the girl does not have time to
resist or flee. Depending on the age of the girl, they might not even understand what is
happening until they spend their first night with their husband. A girls agreement to being
married should not be taken as consent, as her age and innocence limit her ability to reason. She
is therefore unable to give complete assent.
The husband of a child bride is almost never held accountable for his actions. Once she is
married off, it is okay for the older male to have sex with her. The only difference between a
pedophile and a man who is exercising his right to consummate the marriage is the wedding
ceremony. The word pedophile is only applied to men who have sex with girls outside of
marriage.6
Child marriage is a human rights issue that targets female children. The innocence,
vulnerability and submissiveness of a girl child produces an environment in which it is easy for
power to be exerted over them. For them, becoming brides at such a young age (anywhere from
5 Save The Children. (2014). Too Young to Wed: The growing problem of child marriage among Syrian girls in Jordan. Retrieved from
http://savethechildren.org
6 Niamey. (2007, December 19). Where childhood ends on the marriage bed. IRIN News. Retrieved from
http://www.irinnews.org/report/75932/niger-where-childhood-ends-marriage-bed
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birth to eighteen years of age) compromises their opportunities in life and their overall safety and
well-being. Child marriage is also an issue that is at the root of many other problems that
developing countries face, and is therefore a pressing issue.
The amount of girls who are affected by early marriage drastically outweighs the number
of boys involved, because the practice of child marriage is yet another demonstration of
discrimination against females in the developing world. Therefore this report will largely focus
on child brides, as they are mainly the ones who are affected.
SIGNIFICANCE
In simple terms, the practice of child marriage is the deprivation of the right to choose. As
soon as a girl is married she loses her rights to choose if, when, and to whom she gets married to.
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As well, she immediately loses her sexual freedom and safety; she loses the ability to choose
when she has sex and how many children she will have and at what age. She loses the ability to
choose if she will go to school or raise a family, and therefore she loses the opportunity to
develop a career path. Power is constantly exerted over her and her overall quality of life is
compromised because of it.
Of course, with all of the negative consequences and commonality of the practice in the
developing world, the question of why? is raised. Girls are married off at a young age for a
variety of reasons: poverty, family or religious traditions, and crisis such as natural disasters or
conflict. Child marriage is infested in traditional societies where family connections are the
main source of security and prosperity.7 It is also a source of income for families who are
struggling economically, because parents will sell their daughter for a bride price. This is money
that the husband pays to the girls family. War and disasters that have destroyed homes also give
families reason to give away a daughter, in order to offer her better opportunities elsewhere, with
a man who is likely to be more economically stable. All of the aforementioned points are
perpetuated by discrimination against girls in impoverished countries, and will be extensively
examined throughout this report.
No matter the reasoning behind early marriage, there is a misconception within the
developing world that the practice is seen as a solution to the multitude of challenges they
already face. While it may be what is best for individual families, in reality it only exacerbates
the already existing issues faced by a country. As long as there are people who are unwillingly
ignorant to the fact that their actions are perpetuating the problem, the issue of child marriage
will only continue to worsen.
7 G. Dyer, personal communications, 4 April 2016.
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There is an underlying issue regarding child marriage: the inequality that exists between
males and females. Gender inequality is prevalent across the globe and the matter of inequity
compromises the emotional and physical safety of girls and women everywhere. Females are
considered subservient to men, and this is a fact that is especially demonstrated in the customs of
numerous cultures in nations that are undeveloped. Females are seen as a burden, as it is
understood that they bring little benefit to the family. It is for this reason that female infanticide,
the murdering of female infants, is such a widespread practice in developing nations. Marrying
the daughter off is based in the same mindset as female infanticide; the family will benefit if they
can rid of the responsibility of a daughter living with them. There is definitely what is called a
gendered nature to the implementation of early and forced marriage. A daughter is no more of a
burden to an impoverished family than a son is, but because of the misogynistic foundation of
cultures lacking in formal education, girls are the ones at the disadvantage. A report from the
United Nations Population Fund outlines, When girls from birth lack the same perceived value
as boys, families and communities may discount the benefits of educating and investing in their
daughters development.8 There is no justification for this other than that boys are valued more
because they are seen as the source of income, and the ones who will carry on the family legacy
or honour. The legal age for a child to be married varies from country to country, but in no
country is the minimum age for boys lower that that for girls,9 proof of the inequity that separates
the genders. The patriarchal societies of many developing countries often result in severe gender
gaps and unequal opportunities for the female child.
8 Loiaza, E. (2012). Child Marriage: A Violation of Human Rights and a Deterrent to Development (PDF document). Retrieved from
http://www.unfpa.org/end-child-marriage
9 Heymann, Jody, Kristen McNeill. Changing Childrens Chances: New Findings on Child Policy Worldwide. World Policy Center.
World Policy Analysis Centre, 2013. PDF.
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Not only is marrying young girls off to older men morally wrong in the eyes of developed
countries with high qualities of life, it breaks the laws of many of the countries in which it occurs
and violates the standard of human rights that developed countries have set. Amnesty
International accurately and concisely summed up the issue by stating, Child marriage is a
human rights violation under international law and is also prohibited in many countries with
child marriage prevalence.10
The effects of forcing any child into an early marriage, no matter the gender, are felt far
beyond just the child involved. In fact, the only person who may benefit from the act of a child
being married to an adult are the parents of the child, and the husband of the child bride. A
statement from the Council on Foreign Relations outlines the ripple effect that marrying girls off
at a young age has on the country as a whole:
Child marriage perpetuates poverty over generations and is linked to poor health,
curtailed education, violence, instability, and disregard for the rule of law. Its effects are
harmful not only to girls, but also to families, communities, and economiesand to U.S.
interestsaround the globe.11
The effects of child marriage are not only confined to the country in which it is occurring. As the
above statement made clear, the repercussions are indirectly felt all over the world.
In regards to the the girl in question, she who is being married off to a man multiple times
her age, the ramifications run abundant and deep. A marriage too young can have dire
consequences for the girl. More often than not, girls suffer severe depression after being taken
away from their friends, family and education. Not only are these things ripped from them
10 Early and Forced childhood Marriage. (n.d.). Amnesty International. Retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/
children-s-rights/child-marriage
11 Vogelstein, R. (May 2013). Ending Child Marriage: How Elevating the Status of Girls Advances U.S. Foreign Policy Objectives.
Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/children/ending-child-marriage/p30734
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abruptly, the reality of the situation is magnified when the girls new husband repeatedly rapes
her and inflicts mental and physical abuse in order to remind the wife that the husband is always
in control.
First and foremost, when girls are married too young they are susceptible to health issues
and death due to intercourse, pregnancy and childbirth. Health-wise, younger females are at a
much greater disadvantage than a woman who is past her teenage years. Many parents believe
the opposite. They think that marrying their daughter off will protect them from HIV/AIDS,
because a married women is less likely to be raped by a family member or while out in public if
she has a man to protect her. However, this is not the case. Girls are at a much greater risk of
acquiring the sexually transmitted disease because their husbands are often polygamous, and the
use of birth contraceptives is rare in developing countries. The act of having more than one
sexual partner spreads HIV/AIDS, and so the young girl is affected by her husbands sexual
experience. The brides susceptibility to HIV does not stop there. The likelihood of young brides
contracting HIV is increased by the husband and wifes frequent sexual relations, in the girls
attempt to do two things: sexually please her partner to keep him content, in which case he is less
likely to abuse her, and to prove her fertility.12 Fertility is valued in women as there is a
possibility that a pregnancy will produce a son. Again, this is an attempt to please the man, as the
household is undoubtedly a patriarchal arrangement. In addition, intercourse at an age where
ones body has not fully developed renders the girl vulnerable to cuts on her cervix and vagina
walls. As HIV is a disease contracted through the blood, any exposed blood around the
reproductive area offers a prime environment for the virus to spread. Sub-Saharan Africa (which
makes up all of Africa but the very north) sees the highest correlation between child brides and
12 Child Marriage and Health. (2006). International Centre for Research on Women. Retrieved from http://www.icrw.org/files/images/
Child-Marriage-Fact-Sheet-Health.pdf
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HIV/AIDS. Niger, one of the case studies discussed in this report, is located in this African
region. Uganda is not a case study examined in this report, but is noteworthy in this regard
because it has the highest rate of HIV in girls younger than nineteen, with 89% of married girls
afflicted with the disease. In comparison, the prevalence of HIV in single girls under the age of
nineteen is 66%. Although this may not seem like a substantial difference, there are other factors
which increase the chances of contracting the STD, such as the amount of sexual abuse and lack
of sex education in Uganda (13.1% of girls have sexual intercourse before the age of fifteen).13
Girls ages 15-19 are up to six times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS as child brides.14
When a girl first has intercourse at a young age, she is much more susceptible to the
Human Papillomavirus, substantially more so than when a woman simply engages in unprotected
sex, because of the bleeding that will inevitably occur within the girl.15 Child brides are
susceptible to other sexually transmitted diseases such as genital warts, cervical cancer,
chlamydia and gonorrhoea because of their husbands infidelities or previous sexual experience.
The wife does not have the power, money or the independence to insist that their husband be
tested for HIV, use birth contraceptives, or abstain from having sex, and so the problem persists.
It is inevitable that the young bride will be forced into intercourse at least once while she
is married because, Sex in such type of relationships, that involves young girls, is usually not
built upon consent but unfortunately is essentially forced upon the girls.16
In developing countries it is considered quite iniquitous to have sex before marriage (with
the exception of sub-saharan African countries), so few girls do. However, when the virgin girls
13 HIV and Aids in Uganda. (2014). Averting HIV and Aids. Retrieved from http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-aroundworld/sub-
saharan-africa/uganda
14 Child Marriage Facts and Figured. (2015). International Centre for Research on Women. Retrieved from http://www.icrw.org/childmarriage-facts-and-figures
15 Spooner, Samantha. Sex initiation camps, child marriages and polygamy, the lesser-known side of cervical cancer in Africa. Mail
and Guardian Africa. 23 August 2015. Web. 4 March 2016.
16 Ahmed, S., Khan, S., Alia, M. & Noushad, S. Psychological Impact Evaluation of Early Marriages. Regional Office for Eastern
Mediterranean, vol. 1, iss, 2. Retrieved from applications.emro.who.int
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have sex with a man who gives little consideration for their comfort, it is often quick and very
violent, especially within their small bodies. Violent sex often leads to bladder or kidney
infections or tears and cuts. Without adequate healthcare, for economic or geographical reasons,
the physical trauma can be painful while it heals, which can take a while.17
Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death among girls below the age of
eighteen. Studies have found that girls below the age of fifteen are up to seven times more likely
to die during the birthing process than girl over fifteen.18 Their small pelvises are prone to
obstetric fistulas, holes that develop between the vagina and either the rectum or bladder. When
left untreated, the fistulas will remain open for the rest of the girls life. They are then prone to
infection, or leakage of feces or urine for the remainder of their life.19 Today, two million woman
live with obstetric fistulas due to child birth at a young age. Each year, up to 100,000 new cases
appear.20
Many experts focus on the physical trauma that these young brides face, but often
consideration of the girls mental health is overlooked. When girls are married off in their teens
their mental health drastically declines. Often the husband does not live in the same community
as the girls family, and so contact with her family is limited. The isolation and separation from
ones parents can cause severe depression. In addition, the physical, sexual and verbal abuse that
the girls withstand can result in a drastic decline of self-confidence. This can lead to suicide
attempts, which is often the purpose of self-immolation (purposely setting oneself on fire). If
suicidal attempts are unsuccessful, sometimes the husband will become even more authoritarian.
17 Maxwell, J., Belser, J., David, D. (2007). A Health Handbook for Women With Disabilities. Berkeley, CA: Hesperian.
18 Nour, N. (2009). Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Rights Issue. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of
Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672998/
19 Fistula: A longterm consequence of early marriage. (2013). TooYoungToWed.org. Retrieved from

http://tooyoungtowed.org/blog/fistula
20 Jain, S., Kurz, K. (2007). New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage. International Centre For Research on Women.
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Girls who marry younger are at higher risk of psychological disorders as these girls will be
denied the right to freely express their views and the right to be defended.21 Resources and
help centres for child brides are few and far between. Sometimes help is available, but the child
is too afraid to seek help. A feeling of hopelessness and desolation ensues, and usually a girls
mental health will only worsen the longer she stays in the marriage.
In particular, the study of child marriage is significant for a few reasons. Firstly, it is very
difficult for the governments of countries to monitor the issue. This also makes it much more
difficult to work at improving the problem. Secondly, the way that people in developing
countries view women is very misogynistic. Lastly, this mindset is often translated up to the
highest branches of a countrys infrastructure. Bearing all of this in mind, it is very difficult to: a)
gather accurate statistics and b) abolish the practice. A lot of children born in impoverished
countries do not have a birth certificate. Therefore, there is little proof that they are below the
minimum marriage age of that country:
Research indicates that early marriage is often underreported in areas where it is known
to occur, especially for children under fourteen. Even in countries where the average age
of marriage has increased, it is possible that there are large sub-populations still
marrying very young. In many places, children without a birth certificate have no
recourse against age-related abuses like child marriages. This is a huge problem for the
estimated 40 million children, or one-third of the world total, who are born unregistered
each year. In countries where the laws regarding the minimum age of marriage are not
21 Ahmed, S., Khan, S., Alia, M. & Noushad, S. Psychological Impact Evaluation of Early Marriages. Regional Office for Eastern
Mediterranean, vol. 1, iss, 2. Retrieved from applications.emro.who.int
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implemented, the inadequacy of birth registration systems reinforces the de facto

legalization of the practice.22
Because so many marriages are not documented, if a women or girl happens to escape the
abusive relationship, the man is not punished or charged. As well, the girl is not given any
compensations after the divorce, which is something that is often outlined in the laws
surrounding divorce and marriage in some countries.
Additionally, the fact that so many child marriages are unreported is also the answer to
why this is a global issue. Clearly, developing countries lack the resources, power, or feminist
ideologies necessary to change how female youth are treated and how their rights are controlled.
Not only is it the developed countries duty to act on issues such as these, it is also in their
interest to. The ramifications that result from girls marrying early curtail the efforts of developed
countries to improve other issues. As long as the issue persists it undermines a range of
development and security priorities,23 such as protecting females rights and decreasing the
severity of the issues that go hand-in-hand with poverty. As well, funding put toward these issues
continues to cost developed countries money.
Early pregnancies due to marrying young also contributes to overpopulation, because the
age gap between generations is significantly reduced.
Despite its illegality, each year approximately nine million girls under the age of eighteen
are married to men, and feel the effects of it harshly and unconditionally. In 2009 research
22 Verveer, M. (15 July 2010). Targeting Girls in the Name of Tradition: Child Marriage. U.S. Department of State: Diplomacy in Ac
tion. Web. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/rls/rem/2010/144989.htm
23 Vogelstein, R. (May 2013). Ending Child Marriage: How Elevating the Status of Girls Advances U.S. Foreign Policy Objectives.
Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/children/ending-child-marriage/p30734
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concluded that each day an astounding 25,000 girls under the age of eighteen are married around
the world.24 In 2013, that number was found to have risen to 39,000 a day.25
RELIGION
As previously mentioned, the main reasons for child brides are based on family values,
poverty, and religion. Religion especially plays a very important part in the phenomenon of child
brides. Some holy texts mention girls marrying young, or contain sacred stories that involve a
wife who is significantly younger than a man (usually an important religious figure). Other
religions have specific rules about the subjugation of women, and child marriage is yet another
form of exerting social power over females. Lots of marriages, not only those involving a child,
are often officiated by a religious leader, therefore binding two people under religious law. No
matter the reason, religion is closely related to the practice of child marriage, and in
order to fully understand the issue of child brides it is necessary to examine how religion pertains
to it.
24 Nour, N. (2009). Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Rights Issue. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of
Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672998/
25 Child Marriage: 39000 every day. (2013, March 7). World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/
news/releases/2013/child_marriage_20130307/en/
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The religious aspect of child brides in any religion can be traced back to Biblical times. A
lot is based based off of sacred stories from holy texts. Thousands of years ago, girls were seen
as women as soon as they began menstruating (this occurred much earlier back then)26 which is
why it was so common for almost every girl to be a child bride. This went along with the
ideology of the fertility of women, that women are only good for reproduction, and religious
objects of sorts. There are hundreds of religions as examples of this, but a widespread one is
Judaism. The fundamentals of Judaism support the practice. The Jewish bible, the Torah, depicts
a similar story to that of the Prophet Muhammad and Aisha. The son of Gods only disciple,
Isaac, married his wife Rebecca at 3 years old. The only reason for this is that Rebecca was born
at the exact same time that Isaac was bound at the alter when he was twenty-seven years old.
This idea is very sexist within itself, for many reasons: as soon as the girl is born she was
sexualized. Secondly, she is seen as her virginity. Lastly, her innocence is completely taken
advantage of and exploited, because sexual responsibility is placed on her even as a three yearold.
Firstly, child marriage is often practiced on the basis of religion, in particular the
historical aspects of holy texts.27 For example, in many of the countries where child marriage is
prevalent, so too is the Islamic religion. The Quran (the Islamic sacred text) states that the
Prophet Muhammad was married to his wife Aisha at six years old and had consummated the
marriage when she was nine. According to author Robert Spencer, Marrying young girls was
not all that unusual for its time, but because in Islam Muhammad [the prophet] is the supreme
example of conduct (cf. Quran 33:21), he is considered exemplary in this unto today.28 Because
26 Women of History: Medieval Marriage & Childbirth. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from
http://womenofhistory.blogspot.ca/2007/08/
medieval-marriage-childbirth.html
27 Child Marriage: Information Sheet. Girls Not Brides. n.d., Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage. Web.
1
March 2016.
28 Spencer, R. UK Powerless to stop Islamic child marriage. Jihad Watch. 21 December 2014. Web. 1 March 2016.
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the Quran governs societal conduct for Muslims, Mohammad and his young wife are the role
model that traditional Muslims try to emulate. This is not necessarily always the reason for
Muslim families to sell their daughter to an older husband, but as Spencer states, it certainly
plays a role in justifying it for the people.
The Hindu religion in India also often dictates the practice of child marriage. The caste
system, in addition to religion, also influences attitudes. Caste systems are hereditary social
statuses within a culture or religion. Often times one will not change classes; they remain in the
one that they are born into, thus being hereditary. The castes are (simplified): priests,
military/government, merchants, and laborers. Hinduism frowns upon a mixing between castes,
and therefore encourages that girls be married as soon as they reach puberty, no matter if that age
is as young as ten. This will limit the possibility of blood corruption, which describes what
occurs when the girl has sex with someone of a lower caste. Many Hindu fundamentalists believe
that, The younger the girl, the more respectable and punya (holy) it is to give her away, hinting
at the likeliness of sexual purity of younger girls.29 Especially in countries in the continent of
Asia, religion has a very big influence on societal conduct and ways of life. Unfortunately, this
usually does not work in the favour of girls who face the risk of becoming brides. Finally, some
people of Hindu faith believe that they will be blessed if they marry their daughter off before she
has her first cycle of menstruation.30
Another common reason for child marriage to occur was to ensure that the daughter did
not marry someone outside of her faith. This was the daughters responsibility. The younger
30 Marrying Too Young: End Child Marriage. UNFPA.org. 2012, United Nations Population Fund. Web. 1 March 2016
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these daughters were married (to a man the parents chose), the less likely they would rebel and
marry someone outside of their caste.31
Many Muslim countries are incredibly close to having theocratic governments (no
separation between religion and the government/state). Religion plays a large role in encouraging
child marriage in the countries in which Islam is omnipresent. There are no solid statistics as to
how many child brides are Muslim, but, as previously stated, the top five countries for child
marriage are those in which Islam is the most widely practiced religion. A Yemeni member of
Parliament advocates for child marriage on the basis of religion, saying, Something that Allah
himself did not forbid, we cannot forbid.32 The Yemeni Ministry of Religious Affairs declared
that Imams (Islamic spiritual leader, similar to a preacher) must speak about the implications of
early marriage in their weekly sermons.33 The spiritual leaders did not comply, and the issue was
not brought up again by the Yemeni government.
Although many Muslim countries are not theocratic, religion still has a large influence.
In 2011, the Yemeni parliament tried to pass a law to set seventeen as the minimum age of
marriage, but law-makers repudiated it, arguing that it was going against Islam.34 Five years later,
no other marriage-age bill has been passed that protects the rights of girls in Yemen. When it
comes to child marriage, religion is considered more heavily than morals.
In 2015, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia (the Grand Mufti in Islam is equivalent to a
Pope in Catholicism) made it very clear that there is nothing wrong with young girls being
married off when he said, It is incorrect to say that its not permitted to marry off girls who are
32 Gorney, C. (2011). National Geographic: Too Young to Wed. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/childbrides/
gorney-text/1
33 Verveer, M. (15 July 2010). Targeting Girls in the Name of Tradition: Child Marriage. US Department of State: Diplomacy in
Action.
Web. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/rls/rem/2010/144989.htm
34 Ahmed, A. (2011). 13-Year-Old Yemeni Bride Die of Bleeding. The World Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
2010/04/08/13-year-old-yemeni-bride_n_530349.html
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fifteen and younger. A girl aged ten or twelve can be married. Those who think shes too young
are wrong and they are being unfair to her.35 The Grand Mufti is the religious leader with the
highest status in Saudi Arabia, and this quote demonstrates his relative ignorance to the issue. It
also shows how he places blame on anyone who does not believe that a girl as young as twelve
should be married. Additionally, the fact that he thinks this is what is actually best for the girl
child is disconcerting and dangerous, because it offers a strong justification to those who
perpetuate this practice.
The majority of Muslim marriages are consummated on the wedding night. This is
the first time that the couple sleeps together, and the act of consummation is considered the final
act of formal union. Consummating the marriage is a tradition practiced within most Muslim
cultures, no matter the age separation between husband and wife. Furthermore, the five countries
with the highest rates of child brides, [Niger (75%), Chad (72%), Mali (71%), Bangladesh
(64%), Guinea (63%)], are countries in which Muslims religion of Islam is widespread. In
summation, this means that most girls who are victims of early marriage are essentially raped on
their wedding night, and whenever else their husband feels the need for sexual pleasure for the
duration of their marriage. It is not seen as rape however; it is believed that the husband is
merely exerting his right to sexual satisfaction whenever and by whatever means necessary.
Religious marriages are marriages that do not go through the state to be approved,
because the age of the girl makes them illegal in a lot of cases.
For those who receive the religious approval for their marriage on top of the legal state
marriage, religious marriages can be considered a harmless ceremony to celebrate
traditional practices. But the pervasiveness of such marriages actually enables the
35 Granados, L. (22 October 2015). Rules Are For Schmucks: Religion and Child Marriage. The Humanist. Web. Retrieved from
http://thehumanist.com/voices/rules_are_for_schmucks/rules-are-for-schmucks-religion-and-child-marriage
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normalization of an activity that is outlawed by the state. Religious marriages may not
be primarily responsible for creating child brides, yet they enable underage marriages
to be carried out between families by creating a sphere outside the states legal gaze.
While in theory religious marriages are banned, in practice, the state lacks the
monitoring capability (or more so, the interest) to do so.36
It is particularly easy to be married in a religious ceremony because of the huge emphasis that is
put on religion, especially in the developing countries of Africa and Asia. When so many people
in the country practice a religion, it can become more influential than the government a lot of the
time. This is part of why it is so difficult for governments to control all of these young girls being
married.
There are many religions that endorse child marriage, and there other religions that are
neutral or the religion and child marriage have no correlation. Then there are also religions that
are vehemently opposed to it entirely. Some religions specifically forbid child marriage. These
religions are typically gentle, with their teachings based in equality and the greater good for
everyone. Selflessness and acceptance is a large part of Sikhism, and it is for this reason that they
specifically appose the idea of early marriage. Sikhs, who are from India and Pakistan, do not
accept societal customs that put anyone at risk. In a book published about the how the Sikh
religion operates, it is said that, It was almost alien in Indian society to have someone as old as
a grandfather to marry someone as young as his grand daughter The only people in India who
may have done this could have been the foreign Islamic community living in India.37 Again, this
makes reference to the early marriage practices of Islam. Sikhism, as well as Buddhism, are
religions strongly against child marriage because their followers understand its implications.
36 Alyunak, O. (11 February 2014). The inconvenient truth about child brides. opendemoncracy.net. Web. Retrieved from https://
www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/oguz-alyanak-funda-ustek/inconvenient-truth-about-child-brides
37 Al-Albaani, N. (19 February 2011). Marital Paedophilia. Web. Retrieved from http://www.islam-sikhism.info/marriage-paedophile/
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Christians who are very conservative and devoted to their faith may also push their
children, both females and males, into marrying earlier to prevent the sin of pre-marital sex.
Nonetheless, usually the laws about minimum marriageable ages are followed, but this can mean
some children being married at sixteen years old. They are also not married to someone
significantly older than they are; usually the spouse is around the same age as them. This applies
to both boys and girls.
It is no secret that religion has an immense influence on the way people live their lives.
Sometime it can be innocent, but sometimes it can be radicalized and a danger to society.
Countless numbers of wars have been fought over religion. Its influence can encourage violence
and sectarianism. As much as religion can unite people, it can separate people too. Certain
religions impacts are so widespread, the values associated with them are still practiced no matter
the group(s) of people they harm. To some extent, the actions of people can not be excused by
religion, but it can help in the understanding of the Logic of Evil, a concept discussed later in this
paper.
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BACKGROUND
Child marriage has been occurring for thousands of years, and by no means is it confined
to developing or impoverished countries. Only in the last century has it been considered a
prevalent issue. Up until the 19th century, child marriage was a custom across Europe. However,
instead of being compelled by poverty, it was the opposite, as it was encouraged by the desire for
wealthy families to become even more so. In Europe, early marriage was expected among the
high class. In the High Middle Ages era and beyond, (1001 a.d. - 1800 a.d.), it was often within
the higher classes that families sold their daughters off to men of higher status, especially one
who was about to proceed the throne. For the girls family, it was a matter of money - their
daughter would become part of the monarchy and this meant more money and power for the
family name. As for the man and his family, a bride dowry would be irrelevant to a royal family.
Rather, it was about power for the man and his family. It looked much better in society if a man
had a wife as soon as he entered the throne, especially one who was younger.38 Having younger
wives was a sign of dominance and power for men of high status. In his article Medieval Child
Marriage: Abuse of Wardship?, Dr. John McLaughlin states that, marriage of noble and royal
women were usually for political and dynastic consideration. Additionally, he includes an
extensive list of girls across Europe who were sold off to become queens before the age of
fourteen.
Historically, marriage at a young age in Europe also occurred for practical reasons.
Having children was a very important part of the culture. Most of the time, child bearing was
considered one of the only roles that women had in society. Marrying young was encouraged
38 McLaughlin, John. Medieval Child Marriage: Abuse of Warship? Muslimvilla. n.d. Web. 1 March 2016.
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because the life expectancy was only thirty to forty. Therefore, the early teens would be
considered middle aged, thus a completely suitable age to be married and have children.39
Child marriage was eradicated in Western countries in the nineteenth century. Its
eradication accompanied the movement that began to fight for women and childrens rights.
However, it was nowhere near the end of early marriage everywhere. Instead, it began to emerge
more frequently in developing countries, but for a different reason other than money, status or
power. In the 19th century and beyond, forced marriage has become a tradition, largely because
it is also a necessity for the families living in poverty. Parents sell their daughters off because
they are unable to adequately care for all of their children, usually because of health or economic
issues. Due to the severe gender inequality in many countries, girls happen to be the victim of
this practice.
Historically, child marriage has not been confined to developing countries. The practice
only began to be questioned in the 20th century, when countries began setting minimum
marriageable ages for women. Nonetheless, many of these minimum ages (sixteen, seventeen,
eighteen), are still incredibly young to Western countries, especially when married to a man who
is much older. Astonishingly, the first ever minimum age law was enacted as late as 1929. India
passed the Marriage Restraint Act. It prohibited the marriage of girls under fourteen years of
age40 (although it did not make much difference, because UNICEF says that 47% of girls in India
are married before their eighteenth birthday41). Countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia
39 FORA.tv. (2011, September 28). Child Brides: Why Does It Still Happen. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=VJOIPQpiC6c
40 Kalaivani, R. (2015). Child Marriage Restraint Act (1929) - A Historical Review. PDF Document. Retrieved from http://
www.ijhssi.org/papers/v4(1)/Version-1/D04101014018.pdf
41 India. (n.d.). Girls Not Brides. Retrieved from http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/india/
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followed suit, setting their marriage laws to eighteen years of age, though not until the late
1970s.42 Child marriage laws have only been enacted in the last 40 years.
EXPERTS
42 Malhotra, A. (2013). Evidence of What Works to End Child Marriage. UNICEF. Retrieved from wilsoncenter.org
28
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Large organizations and the people who work closely with them are very important to the
eradication of human rights issues such as child marriage. One of the largest organizations that
participates in the study and prevention of early marriage is the United Nations Childrens
Emergency Fund. The organization is a branch of the United Nations, and subsequently it has a
large influence globally. UNICEF works very closely with issues that violate the rights of
children, which child marriage certainly does. The leader of UNICEFs gender rights program is
Dr. Anju Malhotra. Malhotra earned a PhD in sociology and demography (the study of human
statistics). Prior to working with UNICEF, Malhotra was the Vice President of Research at the
International Centre for Research on Women for fourteen years. She gained strides in research on
the rights of adolescent girls in developing countries, studying child brides specifically. She then
began her work with UNICEF, and through this Malhotra was able to find opportunities to
forefront the implementation of an action plan called the Gender Action Plan.43 Its purpose is to
promote gender equality on more intimate and specific levels - working within small villages or
communities as opposed to an entire country. Malhotra also sits on the advisory committee for a
prominent organization opposing child brides, Girls Not Brides. Her extensive contribution and
title held within some of the largest human rights institutions prove Malhotras expertise on the
topic of forced child marriage. In her testimony to the U.S House of Representatives Human
Rights Commission, Anju states:
My testimony will show how and why forced child marriage is a pervasive problem across
the developing world, affecting the lives of millions of girls. It violates their human rights
and it severely impedes global development efforts. Forced marriage undermines initiatives
43 Anju Malhotra. (2015). In Leadership bios and photos. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/media/media_81570.html
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to raise girls education, to reduce maternal mortality, and to increase employment and
enterprise levels.44
Malhotra clearly outlines her accurate and factual view of the effects of child marriage. Malhotra
also says that for the first time in history, UN agencies fighting for gender equality will
specifically target child marriage in their work, and this is a huge accomplishment that can be
attributed to Malhotras influence in the field of gender studies.
Dr. Anju Malhotra reinforces the information and statistics that many academic reports
and documents stated earlier. On the topic of why girls are still being married off to older men,
Malhotra agrees that it is largely an issue spurred on by poverty. However, she also stresses that
the parents are to be given the benefit of the doubt due to their lack of education. They cannot
connect child marriage with the consequences, even though these consequences directly impact
the parents. Malhotra argues that few of the people perpetuating this issue even know the horrid
conditions that the girl must live in; they are incredibly ignorant in that sense. Again, defending
the logic of evil, Malhotra says that there are actually many places in which parents wish they
could give their daughter a better opportunity than marriage; places in which parents know that
this will not be more advantageous to their daughter economically or education-wise. However,
they conform to societal norms because they are afraid of what people will think of an unmarried
girl, they fear for her safety, or they fear that she will never be married at all.45
Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage globally, with more than half of the
girls being married before they are eighteen.46 Born and raised in Malawi, eighteen year old
44 Malhotra, A. (2010, July 15). The Causes, Consequences and Solutions to Forced Child Marriage in the Developing World.
Retrieved
from http://www.icrw.org/files/images/Causes-Consequences-and%20Solutions-to-Forced-Child-Marriage-AnjuMalhotra-7-15-2010.pdf
45 FORA.tv. (2011, September 28). Child Brides: Why Does It Still Happen. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=VJOIPQpiC6c
46 Goldberg, E. (2015, July 10). How A Determined Teen Helped Put An End To Child Marriage In Malawi. Huffiest Impact. Retrieved
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/10/memory-banda_n_7770204.html
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Memory Banda is a child and womens rights activist. She has played a large role in successfully
advocating for the rights of child brides in her country. Banda has spoken directly to the
Malawian government to enforce change in regards to laws about child brides. In 2015, Banda
convinced the Parliament of Malawi to pass a bill that requires girls to be at least eighteen before
being legally bound in a marriage to another person, regardless of whether the other person
involved is also below the age of eighteen. Before 2015, the minimum legal age for Malawian
girls to be married was fifteen years old. This accomplishment was only the beginning for
Bandas pursuit to abolish the marriage of minority females in developing countries. Banda
recognizes that a change in the legality of child marriage is only the beginning. She began
working with the Girl Empowerment Network of Malawi to educate adults about the dangers of
it, and to educate girls about their choices or where to seek help. While giving a TED talk in
2015, Banda expressed the personal experience that she has faced regarding gender inequality
and in particular child marriage. During her talk, Banda said, Growing up in [Malawi], I
couldnt make my own choices in life. I couldnt even explore personal opportunities in life.47
Banda begins her talk by discussing two anonymous sisters who grew up in Malawi. She
emphasizes the similarities and bond between these two young girls. She then speaks of how the
paths of these two girls lives diverged drastically when one reached the age of eleven. This was
when she was sent of to an initiation camp. These camps are targeted toward teaching adolescent
girls how to sexually satisfy a man. A man from the community then comes to the camp and
sleeps with each of the girls. The girl that Banda spoke of was only eleven years old when she
got pregnant. She was married off to a different man, and had three children by the time she was
sixteen. Her emotional portrayal of the similarities between these two innocent girls made an
47 Banda, M. (2015, May). Memory Banda: A warriors cry against child marriage [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/
talks/memory_banda_a_warrior_s_cry_against_child_marriage?language=en#t-133609
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especially big impact when Banda revealed that one of these girls was her sister. Banda watched
her sister grow up as a mother, each of her children from a different husband who abandoned her.
Watching her sister experience the hardships that accompany early marriage was what initially
encouraged Bandas dedication to the issue. When Banda reached the age of thirteen herself, her
family tried to force her to go to the initiation camp, but she refused. More often than not,
engaging in intercourse at these camps results in unwanted pregnancy and sometimes fatal sexual
transmitted diseases. Womens health expert Dr. Howard Kasiya says that, Being forced to
undergo kusasa fumbi [initiation camp] is often a death sentence for girls.48 Because Banda
refused, she was seen as an outsider in the community, a betrayer of the long-standing tradition
of being sent to initiation camps. Banda says that the hurtful remarks from her family and friends
did not affect her though. She says, I knew what I wanted in life. I had a lot of dreams as a
young girl I wanted to [be] well educated, to find a decent job in [the] future.49 Because
Banda refused to go to an initiation camp, she was shunned. She was made to feel guilty for
disrespecting a tradition, especially by the women of the community. Banda says that what she
experienced is what every girl who defends their right to choose faces. They are made out to be
the traitor for the simple reason of wanting to create opportunities for themselves.
Instead of being discouraged by societal pressures, Banda was inspired. She met with
girls from her community who, like Memorys sister, had been married and impregnated young.
Banda met with them often to reinforce their reading and writing skills. However, it was not so
much school as it was a chance for Banda to meet with other victims of child marriage, give
them reassurance, and to gain authentic knowledge of a child brides life. She empowered the
48 Mkandawire, B., Dunning, D. (2014, September 18). Teenage girls in southern Malawi reject sexual cleansing. The Guardian.
marriage-
Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/sep/18/end-childmalawi-girls
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group of girls to collectively stand against the parents and community leader who enforce the
issue. As a result, Banda and the group of young women were successful in convincing the
community leader to declare that no girl was to be forced into marriage before the age of
eighteen. This was the first (recorded) community in Malawi to ban child marriage. Banda is
currently the Malawian representative for the Let Girls Lead organization and at only eighteen
years old, Memory Bandas fight to end child marriage has just begun.
Banda is an example of what can happen when girls are successful in choosing education
over marriage. She demonstrates the possibilities that can arise from letting girls pursue
something greater in life. We are not just women, we are not just girls, Banda declared. We
are extraordinary, we can do more.50
Dr. Anju Malhotra has the benefit of an extremely prestigious education from
universities and a professional career working with influential international organizations. She
has been given the opportunities to become an expert on child marriage. Memory Banda,
however, has the personal connection behind the issue that Malhotra lacks. She has witnessed its
effects up close, and because her sister is a child bride, Banda has the emotional experience to
attach to her knowledge. Both experts are immensely knowledgable and present different yet
equally important contributions to the study. More so, both women have achieved incredible
accomplishments where the rights of women and children in developing countries are concerned.
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ROLE OF CONTROL
Child marriage is an especially interesting topic when discussed in correlation with the
role of control. Only in a handful of countries is child marriage legal, yet it is practiced in nearly
every country. This proves the fact that although the government has the authority to outlaw the
marriage of young girls, the people who have the real control in this situation are the citizens.
For many countries where early marriage is illegal, the rate of girls marrying below the age of
eighteen is over 50%. Having said this, many countries laws about early marriage set the
minimum age at 15, 16, or 17, all ages which would still be considered incredibly young in
western culture. It is not uncommon for parents to present a birth certificate that does not include
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the correct age; it says the girl is older than she is, and therefore eligible for marriage.51 This only
applies if families are going through the court or church to become legally married. Of course, in
extremely impoverished communities, birth certificates are irrelevant because there are no
records of birth. In these types of communities, there is either no formal ceremony or the
community/religious leader will willingly approve the illegal marriage. UNICEF Child
protection specialist Carla Mendonca said that, If a community [in Africa] decides that a girl is
to be married in a traditional ceremony, with or without her consent, lawmakers are powerless to
intervene.52 Realistically, the practice of child marriage is something that has been around for
hundreds of years. It is embedded in traditions, religion, and is also the only option in many
cases. Therefore, laws that the government implements will do very little in exacerbating early
and forced marriage among young girls.
Control is held in the hands of the citizens for many reasons. Firstly, the areas in which
child marriage is common are rural and impoverished areas. These rural communities make up a
huge part of many developing countries. The towns, villages or communities are usually isolated
and away from the eyes of authority. Therefore, authorities or government are oblivious to, or
simply do not care about the number of girls being married illegally. Amnesty International
reports that, Existing laws are often not enforced or provide exceptions for parental consent or
traditional and customary laws.53
Another reason is because the governments of developing countries are usually unstable.
They do not hold enough authority or presence in a country to the enforce the law. Some
51 HumanRightsWatch. (2015, June 8). Epidemic of Child Marriage in Bangladesh [video file]. Retrieved from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pJk6M5LgCg
52 Chutel, L. (2015, November 26). Number of child brides to soar in Africa, say rights groups. The San Diego Union Tribune.
Retrieved from http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/26/number-of-child-brides-to-soar-in-africa-say/
53 Early and Forced childhood Marriage. (n.d.). Amnesty International. Retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/
children-s-rights/child-marriage
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countries are theocratic. Others have seen the collapse of their government, especially in Middle
Eastern countries. Sometimes there are more prevalent issues to deal with, such as war.
Something that the government does control is their use and distribution of money and
resources. Lack of resources contribute to child marriage in a very large way. One of the main
reasons girls are married off is because of lack of food, water, jobs and aid after a natural disaster
(which often limits all of the aforementioned resources). Economic data collection suggests that,
India loses $56 billion USD a year in potential earnings because of adolescent pregnancy, high
secondary school dropout rates, and joblessness among young women.54 When investments in
girls are made, the benefits are felt beyond just that individual. In Bangladesh, the government
allots a certain amount of money for each girl who completes school up to a certain grade and is
still unmarried. Due to the monetary incentive, the enrolment in secondary school in Bangladesh
has more than doubled between 1994 and 2001. By making jobs more available to girls, this also
lessens the chances of girls being married without their consent. A study from the year 1998
found that the inflation of the garment industry in Bangladesh has lowered the number of girls
who become brides.55 Although the industry raises the human rights questions around child
labour and health/safety, it has certainly been effective in making jobs available for girls instead
of marriage.
The idea of a child being married off to an older man begins with the parents/guardians of
the girl. Due to the gender discrimination in almost every developing country
a womans sexuality is not her own to control, but the property of her father, husband,
family, or ethnic group. Because of this, the decision to marry and to initiate sexual
54 Planning Ahead For Girls Empowerment and Employability. (n.d.). International Centre for Research on Women. Retrieved from
http://www.icrw.org/where-we-work/planning-ahead-girls%E2%80%99-empowerment-and-employability-page
55 Mathur, S., Green, M., Malhotra, A. (2003). Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights and Health of Young Married Girls. International
Lives-
Centre for Research on Women, 13. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-theRights-and-Health-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf
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activityis often not a young womans but that of family members, whose honor and
shame are defined by whether or not she is a virgin before she marries. Once a girl has
menstruated, fears of potential pre-marital sexual activity and pregnancy become the
major concern among family members who are accountable for protecting her
sexuality.56
The easiest way for the patriarchy to gain sexual power over the young daughter is through
marriage. Parents can control tradition and their daughters reproductive rights, honour and
religion by marrying her off.
After the girl has been married, the person who has the control is her husband, and her
husbands parents. The male often continues to live with his parents. Sometimes the husband will
live in compounds with many of his extended family. When the girl comes into the family she is
not honoured. If she expresses remorse she is often beaten. There are cases such as sixteen yearold Akuot, from South Sudan, who was beaten by her uncles and left tied up in a shed for three
days for resisting the marriage.57
Without a doubt the husband holds nearly all of the power in a relationship, and they
exercise their power to the fullest extent. It should not be assumed that all relationships in
developing countries are patriarchal. In fact, much of African culture is the opposite;
predominantly matriarchal. However, in the case of child marriage, there are many reasons why
the power is stripped from the girl and is given completely to the male. The most predominant
reasons are the result of the substantial age difference between husband and wife:
Since early marriage limits skills, resources, knowledge, social support, mobility, and
autonomy, young married girls often have little power in relation to their husbands or in56
57 HumanRightWatch. (2013, March 7). Child Marriage: South Sudan [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qFP4au5WbMQ
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laws. They are also extremely vulnerable to violence, abuse, divorce, and abandonment.
Violence may include physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse.58
The younger the girl, the less powerful she is. She is less likely to stand up for herself. She is
vulnerable physically and mentally, creating a perfect opportunity for her husband to exercise
power over her sexually, forcefully and psychologically. Studies show that girls married under
the age of eighteen are twice as likely to face domestic violence than girls married over the age
of eighteen. In regards to sexual violence, the statistics are three times more likely than girls
married over the age of eighteen.59 She is more likely to listen to her husband, and also the
younger they are, the more likely they are to conform to the rules of their husband/his parents
house because they have had less time to learn to think for themselves. A common way for the
in-laws and husband to hold their power over the bride is by threatening her. They will threaten
the girl that if she rebels in any way, they will accuse her of infidelity, which in countries such as
Afghanistan, is punishable with public execution.
Although it may seem very unlikely, the brides also have a role of control in this
situation, though very little and not in a conventional way. They do not have control over their
freedom, but they do in some aspects of their pregnancy. In times of crisis, the human instinct
finds ways to adapt and survive. Girls who have been married young and impregnated early learn
to cope and adjust their body to accommodate the unnatural occurrence of a fetus growing in
them at such an early age. Many girls will limit their food intake drastically during pregnancy.
The reason for this is that the baby will then have a lower birthweight, in the hopes that the
birthing process will be quicker, less painful, and with fewer complications. Although this
58 Mathur, S., Green, M., Malhotra, A. (2003). Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights and Health of Young Married Girls. International
Lives-
Centre for Research on Women, 11. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-theRights-and-Health-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf
59 Jain, S., Kurz, K. (2007). New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage. International Centre For Research on Women.
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pregnancy has been forced on them, the young girls find other ways of surviving by themselves.
On the other hand, husbands can sometimes have complete control over their wifes food intake.
They will refuse to give her food until her family pays a higher dowry. In her fragile state of
pregnancy, it does not take long for the girl to reach a point of fatal starvation because the family
could not pay a higher dowry.60
In almost every global issue, there is the person or people who should get all of the
control in the situation, but do not. This is often the case in issues that violate human rights. In
simple terms, the victim is the victim because she does not have control over the situation. Her
battle has been forced upon her against their will. This idea becomes especially apparent in terms
of the inequality that exists among genders. Many of the issues that women in developing nations
face exist because they do not have control, and someone else governs what they do/what is done
to them. In the matter of child marriage, the people who need the control are the brides
themselves. It is an extremely rare occasion when a young girl says she would rather go live with
an unknown man much older than her and leave behind the familiarity of friends, family and
education. If given the choice, the millions of girls given away as brides would certainly say that
they have aspirations far beyond being being the property of a husband.
So many positive things can result from power being given back to the brides. If girls
were in control of their rights they would likely choose the path of education, the choice to have
control over their sexual and reproductive safety, and marry someone who they felt safe with. As
a result, pregnancy related health issues and maternal mortality would decrease, enrolment in
school would increase, and more economic opportunities would open up for women. Because
such a huge number of girls are affected by early marriage, the economic growth would be
60 Myers, J. (2013). Untying the Knot: Exploring Early Marriage in Fragile States. PDF Document. Retrieved from worldvision.org
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huge.61 The benefits that ensue would be immense and numerous. This is why organizations need
to look so heavily into not only ceasing the existence of early marriage, but giving girls the tools
necessary to break out of the poverty cycle. The cessation of early marriage is irrelevant if girls
remain in one place, and ending child marriage would only be the beginning of a long journey of
ensuring girls have equal opportunities.
61 Chaaban, J., Cunningham, W. (2011). Measuring The Economic Gain of Investing in Girls. United Nations Girls Education
Initiative: Children and Youth Unit & Gender Unit [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://www.ungei.org/resources/files/WPS5753.pdf
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THE LOGIC OF EVIL

There is a multifaceted approach required when considering every viewpoint of a global
issue. The Logic of Evil allows one to examine the reasoning behind why the people involved
do what they do. When discussing the issue of child brides, it is definitely necessary to consider
the Logic of Evil. Playing the role of the Devils Advocate is important to fairly analyze an
issue, and can only be done through critical thinking. In simple terms, the Logic of Evil is
considering exactly why this is done to girls in so many countries, and defending the actions of
the perpetrator. From the standpoint of a developed nation, the immediate reaction to hearing that
there are families who willingly sell their daughter to an older man is that this is a barbaric
practice and that the parents do not care about their childs well-being. However, this is not
always the case. In some cases, it is in fact quite the opposite. Contrary to popular belief, a
dowry is not the most common reason for families to sell their daughter. A lot of it has to do with
a belief that this will keep their child safe from many things.
Early marriage is a strategy used to protect daughters from being recruited into the
military. Studies from World Vision have concluded that in countries such as Sri Lanka, Sierra
Leone, Afghanistan, Somalia and Uganda, the rate of child brides increased dramatically during
the times of unrest in those countries.62
62 Myers, J. (2013). Untying the Knot: Exploring Early Marriage in Fragile States. PDF Document. Retrieved from worldvision.org
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Parents also believe that marrying a women off will protect her from trauma. Married
women are less likely to be raped or sexually assaulted for multiple reasons: firstly, instead of
walking to and from school, they will be confined to the house doing chores. Secondly, when the
woman goes out in public, it will most likely be with her husband. Thirdly, few men want to rape
a married woman, because her wedded status defeats the purpose of raping a woman to bring
dishonour on her, therefore rendering her unwanted. In times of drought or natural disaster
families will sell their daughter because they want to give her the opportunity to escape to safety.
Many of the reasons that parents sell their daughter is to protect the daughter or to benefit the
girl; parents think this will give her more opportunities in life.
Another way of giving their daughter more opportunities in life, and perhaps the most
important one, is money. The reason that older men are often the preferred husbands is because
they are more economically stable and able to provide for the girl much better than the family is
able to.
Families think they are giving their daughter a better chance. It can be implied that men
who participate in child marriage, those who are marrying young girls, do not have formal
education and are therefore not repulsed by their actions. Perhaps their ignorance can be excused
because of lack of access to education and knowledge of human rights. When one looks at the
role that religion has in cultures, especially in developing countries, it becomes a lot easier to
understand the logic behind child marriages. Religion is a focus that many customs are built
around, in every area of the world. Child marriage is one such custom. Religious leaders are
common and numerous in regions where child marriage is prevalent. In regions where religion
dictates so much of peoples lives, and most of the population practices the same religion, it is no
wonder that people are blind to the harmful effects of child marriage.
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Child marriage is often used as a survival strategy for families in times of crisis. One of
the most current and prominent examples is the Syrian refugee crisis. This only applies to
refugees who have fled to the neighbouring countries of Syria, such as Jordan. Many families
choose to marry their daughter off when they arrive in Jordan. They do this as a form of
protection. There are many dangers that the refugees are protecting their daughter and
themselves from. Rape culture was rampant in developing countries of the Middle East before
the rise of The Islamic State, and has only increased due to the instability of the countries.
Religious leaders in Syria are allowed to approve marriages for girls as young as thirteen.
However, although the refugees are still citizens of Syria, they must obtain an official document
showing proof of age to be married in Jordan, which has a strict minimum age of fifteen.
Because of Syrias fragile state, people are unable to obtain government documents, and are
therefore married informally. This puts the girl at risk if she and her husband are to ever be
divorced, because she would lose all of her legal rights.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria holds women and girls hostage and rapes them in
order to produce the next generation of Jihadists. In March 2016, ISIS raped a nine year-old girl
in front of hundreds of other women that they were holding captive. The father of a Syrian bride,
Hanadi, who is pregnant at fourteen, says, If they raped a nine-year-old girl, they can do
anything. I will not feel OK if I do not see her married to a decent man who can protect her.63
The father also added that, [Early marriage] is our tradition, but now it became a necessity.
Syria is not a good place for women and girls any more. Hanadi is one of many instances of
young girls being married off to be protected from rape, marriage and indoctrination because of
63 Aly, H. (19 July 2012). Nine-year-old girl raped in open hall by ISIS member, new reports claim. independent.co.uk. Retrieved
says-
from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/nine-year-old-girl-raped-in-open-hall-by-isis-reporta6918881.html
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crisis. All of this is in violation of the international humanitarian law. These are rules intended to
keep safe those who are not involved in the conflict.
Some husbands will allow their wife to go to school after they have been married, or even
encourage it. Hajja Dudu Abdulsalam from Nigeria was married at 16, but had only completed
primary school. Her husband urged her to attend a school for literacy, and she later became a
teacher there. She would not have been able to pay for her schooling had she not been married.64
Many people who are not in the midst of the issue are quick to label the parents and
husband of the girl as inhumane. However, the reasoning behind why families give away their
daughters can actually be quite selfless, as they are trying their hardest to help their daughter
even though it must be terrible to give away a child. Of course, more often than not their actions
have the opposite effect on the daughter, but that is irrelevant to the Logic of Evil.
64 Kwarai, M. Insights Into Early Marriage and Girls Education in Northern Nigeria. 2011, Lagos, Nigeria. PDF Document. Retrieved
from http://www.ungei.org/files/innovators.pdf
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CASE STUDIES
Case Study No. 1: Yemen
Yemen is a country in the Middle East in which the subjugation of females is rampant.
The country claims to be a representative democratic republic, which simply means that one
person who represents a party is elected by the citizens to lead the country. It also has a strong
infrastructure of executive, legislature, and judicial government branches. More importantly,
however, Yemen does not have a minimum marriageable age. In 2014, the cabinet of Yemens
federal parliament reviewed a proposed law that set a minimum age of eighteen, but it was not
passed. To this day, the marriage of an adult to a child of any age is recognized as a completely
legal act under the federal government of Yemen.65 Yemen is not among the top countries in the
world for the amount of girls who become child brides. This does not mean that the rate is low
though, as the percentage of Yemeni girls under the age of eighteen being married falls around
48%.66
The country of Yemen is important to discuss in the context of the issue of early marriage
because it is home to a young girl who has a very unique story to tell: Nujood Ali, the first
Yemeni wife to be granted a divorce from her husband. At the time, this request had been
preposterous, as typically only men can request divorces in most developing countries. In 2010,
Nujood Ali was married at age ten to a man in his thirties. Her new husband forced her to cease
her schooling immediately. He then forcefully had sex with her, despite Alis father requesting
that the husband not touch her sexually until one year after puberty. Alis recounts about how she
65 Yemen: End Child Marriage. 27 April 2014. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/04/27/yemenend-
child-marriage
Rights-and-
for Research on Women. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-the-LivesHealth-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf
66 Mathur, S., Greene, M., Malhotra, A. Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights, and Health of Young Married Girls. International Centre
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was treated during her year with her husband are horrific, as she states, My husband's mother
beat me on my wedding night and then locked me in a room. Then, my husband came in and
raped me. His mother later told me that if I continued to be disobedient, she would beat me even
harder.67
In 2008, when Alis father told her that she would be married, both she and her mother
were devastated, but as Ali states in her memoir, In our country its the men who give the
orders, and the women who follow them.68 Therefore, Ali was married off to and sent to live
with a stranger who was three times her age. During the marriage, which only ended up lasting a
year, Ali faced substantial abuse from her husband and parents-in-law. Abuse and domestic
violence is incredibly common in child marriages. Cultures that repress females tend to be more
violent toward them in general, as it is an easy way of asserting dominance. However, what was
extremely shocking and out of the ordinary in this case was how eleven year-old Nujood Ali
handled her situation. Ali snuck away one day to the courthouse and waited until someone
acknowledged her. She asked to see a judge, and after making her case to him, she was granted a
divorce from her husband. Ali was lucky to speak to the judge that she did, because most Yemeni
judges, when they heard about the case, were not in favour of Ali divorcing her husband and did
not sympathize with her situation. The husband was not charged with statutory rape because in
the eyes of Yemeni judges it was simply seen as a man having sex with his wife. Nujood Ali
became the first female in Yemen to receive a divorce. This is especially substantial because
Yemen is one of the few countries in which child marriage is legal at every age.
67 Meet the People: Nujood Ali, and the fight against child marriage in Yemen. (20 February 2014). CCTV.com. Retrieved from
http://
english.cntv.cn/program/newshour/20140220/103270.shtml
68 Kristof, N. (3 March 2010). Divorced Before Puberty. The New York Times. Web. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
2010/03/04/opinion/04kristof.html?_r=0
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Nujood Alis story proves what can come when a girl is freed from the confines of an
early marriage. Simultaneously, it proves the repercussions that the victim feels when forced into
marriage at an early age. Ali returned to her family and attended private school in Yemen. With
the money earned from her memoir, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, and public appearances,
Nujood Ali lifted her family out of poverty. Ali won Glamour Magazines Woman of the Year in
2008, and has been on various talk shows throughout Europe. For any woman to speak out
against discrimination is extremely brave, especially in a country such as Yemen, where the
rights of women are tenuous. Yemen has been known to punish harshly for crimes in which a
woman defies the husbands word. Punishments include public beatings, floggings, prison, and
even executions. They can remain in prison indefinitely if a male relative does not come to
claim them. For a young girl to forcefully and bluntly ask for a divorce is immensely brave.
Before Ali, nobody in Yemen had asked for a divorce, not even marriages where the partners
were of the same age. Alis case was defended by a womens rights lawyer in Yemen, Shada
Nasser. Nasser is Sanaas (Yemens capital city) first female lawyer, and now, the first Yemeni
lawyer to win a divorce case for a child bride. Since then, three other Yemeni brides have asked
her to take their cases. Nasser has won all three of them.69
After Nasser presented Alis case to two judges, Ali became the youngest divorcee in the
world. In accordance with Sharia Law (the legal system that many Muslim countries follow), Ali
still had to pay her husband $200 in order for the divorce to be complete.70
In fact, Yemen can be seen to be regressing where child marriage is concerned. Yemen
use to have a minimum marriage law, but it was revoked in 1998 to follow an interpretation of
69 Nujoods Story: An Example For All the Other Girls. (23 December 2013). Too Young To Wed. Web. Retrieved from http://tooy
oungtowed.org/blog/tag/nujood-ali/
70 Stewart, S. (14 February 2010). 10 Years Old...And Divorced. New York Post (New York, NY): 32. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2
April 2016.
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the Quran. As well, it was decided that there would be no marriage law because they saw it as
[a solution to] widespread poverty and deep-rooted traditions.71 Nujood Ali inspired a revolt of
sorts; after her successful divorce, many other child brides all over the world have come forward
and were able to attain divorces from their adult husbands. Like many survivors of child
marriage, Nujood Ali has become an advocate for the issue. She wrote letters and distributed
them to Yemeni parents that said, Dont let your children get married. You'll spoil their
educations, and you'll spoil their childhoods if you let them get married so young.
Nujood Alis story sparked an increase in effort from various non-government
organizations to pass a law setting a minimum marriage age in Yemen. The Yemeni Women
Union, Equality Now, and Arab Human Rights Foundation attempted to set that age to seventeen
in 2009, but to no avail. The bill was dismissed by religious leaders who are also part of
the parliament, once again showing the strong influence that religion has in many countries. As
of 2014, however, the President of Yemen has the power to overrule these decisions. Despite this,
no more movement has been made toward a law regulating child marriage.72 Twice, and only in
recent years, has a proposed marriage law been dismissed. As it stands, early marriage still poses
a threat to Yemeni girls and there is little to suggest that that is improving in the near future. It is
in the interest of girls, their countries and the world for an age of consent to not only be written
but reinforced in Yemen.
71 Hill, G. (22 August 2008). Yemen Confronts Plight of Child Brides. Christian Science Monitor: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2
April 2016
72 Abu-Dayyeh, S. (6 May 2014). Yemens law on child brides FGM offers hope of wider progress. The Guardian. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/may/06/yemen-child-brides-fgm-rights-actlaw
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Case Study No. 2: Niger
When you invest in a girl, the whole world benefits.73
Niger has the highest rate of girls married before their eighteenth birthday, with an
average of 75% across the entire country. Before a girls fifteenth birthday, the rate is 36%. In a
73 Plan Canada. (3 April 2016). Web. Retrieved from https://plancanada.ca/empowergirls
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region of Niger called Diffa, the rate is 89%.74 The causes and repercussions revolving around
early marriage are especially evident in Niger. As well as being one of the poorest countries in
the world, Niger sees the biggest correlation between education and early marriage. 81% of
women with no education in Niger are married before eighteen, whereas only 17% of women
with schooling become child brides.75 On the other hand, there are also cases in Niger in which
the effectiveness of empowered young girls becomes apparent. One of these instances was
Balkissa Chaibou, who was married off to her cousin at twelve years old. Before the proposal she
had been in school and was planning on becoming a doctor. Studying was something that
Chaibou valued most in her life. As is often the case in sub-Suharan African countries, the
crippling poverty faced by Chaibou family is what forced them to sell their daughter to an older
man. Additionally, girls in Niger are seen as a very big disgrace to the family if they get pregnant
before marriage. Therefore, marrying the girl off early is a preventative measure to protect the
familys honour. This responsibility falls completely on the daughter. Chaibous mother, Hadiza
Almahoud said that, Nowadays some children are not well brought up. If they are not married
off at an early age, they can bring shame to the family. This attitude is a learned form of victim
blaming. It places all the responsibility of what happens to a girls body on the girl. This is
especially unfair in cultures where sexual violence and the exploitation of females is rampant.
After failed attempts to convince her family members to stop the marriage, Chaibou went
to her school principal, who helped her take legal action against her father and uncle for forced
marriage. Throughout the process, she was told by her extended family members that they would
kill her if she did not accept the marriage proposal, whereupon she was forced to go live in a
74 Annex 1: Profiles of 10 Countries With the Highest Rates of Child Marriage. (2006). United Nations Population Fund. PDF File.
Retrieved from https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/ChildMarriage_8_annex1_indicatordefinition.pdf
75 Annex 1: Profiles of 10 Countries With the Highest Rates of Child Marriage. (2006). United Nations Population Fund. PDF File.
Retrieved from https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/ChildMarriage_8_annex1_indicatordefinition.pdf
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womens shelter on her own at twelve years old. Because of the threat of jail, the cousin and
Chaibous family dropped the proposal.
Chaibous story is an excellent example of a few things. Firstly, her parents now
understand the magnitude of problems that accompany forcing ones daughter into an unwanted
marriage. They have learned not to force their other four daughters to marry. This proves that
many parents of child brides truly just do not understand the entirety of the situation when they
force their daughters into marrying an older man. The alternative would be to leave their child in
school so she can become independent and have control of her own rights and her future.
Secondly, Chaibous experience with seeking help proves the importance of educating
girls. Not necessarily even educating them in the traditional sense, but educating them on their
rights and the resources that are available around them for help. This is a perfect example of the
importance of educating girls to help in the cessation of child marriage. If Chaibou had not gone
to school in the first place she would not have confided in and sought help from her principal.
Because she was educated, she knew more about her rights, capabilities, and the resources that
were available around her, which is what ultimately saved her from being married off.
Nigers case of child brides in general is a particularly interesting one to examine, it being
one of the poorest countries in the world as well as having the highest number of brides married
before eighteen. Niger also has the least number of girls attending school; 50% of girls go to
primary school, 10% to secondary school and 2% to high school.76 Child marriage, girls
education, and economic impacts are all very closely related in Niger. This is where the poverty
cycle ties into the topic of child marriage. The poverty cycle is the reason that developing
countries are struggling to lay a foundation for their economy and basic living quality for their
citizens. When girls are married off, it is almost guaranteed that they will live in poverty for the
76 Promoting Girls Education in Niger. (n.d). UNICEF.org. Web. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/2009_2619.html
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rest of their life, thus perpetuating the poverty cycle (see appendix I). Co-founder of the
European Council on Foreign Relations and chair of Girls Not Brides, Mabel van Oranje,
explains why ending child marriage is imperative to the health of the developing world:
Its not just that we lose something today, we lose that girl and we lose that generation
I think it is an illusion that we will every get every girl in school, that we will ever stop
maternal death, that we will ever tackle infant mortality, that we can ever end the
spreading of HIV/AIDS, that we will ever get gender equality, that we will ever break
the cycle of poverty, if we dont empower the girl child, and if we dont end child
marriage.77
It is important to discuss how child marriage perpetuates the poverty cycle before examining the
economic impacts of early marriage. There are many factors involved, but it begins with
education, which has a significant role. Girls with secondary schooling are six times less likely to
be married before eighteen.78 If no secondary schooling is received, she will likely become a
young bride and never return to school, because she will have children, possibly more children
than she may want. Without education, she will not be able to get a job that is well-paying
enough to support herself and her family, especially if she is abandoned by her husband.
Husband abandonment is common; men become bored, her age/physical capabilities render her
useless to the household, his wife is not sexually experienced enough, she is too much of a
burden, whether it be her emotional instability or health complications that affect her appearance,
her sexual abilities or cost too much money. The bride is much more likely to become ill during
pregnancy, and fatality rate for both mother and child during childbirth are significantly higher
77 girleffect. (2012, December 17). The girl effect: The ripple effect of ending child marriage. [video file]. Retrieved from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E1yEw-ct7k
78 Education. Girls Not Brides. Web. Retrieved from http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/themes/education/
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for young mothers.79 Her child will be more likely to have health problems with no money to buy
medications. That child will then be less likely to attend school and if the child is female, she
will probably become a bride herself and the cycle continues.
Studies prove that child brides have a direct correlation with the economy of developing
countries. Child brides typically have more children than adult women, and a larger population
means more money the government has to spend on social services, aid and welfare. By 2030,
this slowing could lead to a reduction in the total population of Niger by two million people,
which would have significant outcomes for the populations standard of living, as well possibly
for the quality of public services.80 Combined with the losses that the country sees from having
the majority of girls out of work, especially in Niger, eliminating child marriage could save
Niger $25 billion (USD) between the years 2014 and 2030. This money could be used toward
strengthening the countrys economy and subsequently improving the quality of life for
Nigerians.
Looking at Africa as a whole, a 2015 consensus from UNICEF concluded that if current
trends continue, half of the child brides in the world will be in Africa by 2050.81 In Niger
specifically, there are a few preliminary things that must be done if the number of girls under
eighteen being married every year is to decrease. Those things are food security, education, and
improving womens status in their society.
79 Wodon, Q., Petroni, S. (24 November 2015). The hefty price of child marriage. Devex.com. Web. Retrieved from https://
www.devex.com/news/the-hefty-price-of-child-marriage-87327
80 Wodon, Q. (November 2015). Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: Preliminary Findings from analyses of existing data. The
Economic Impacts. Web. Retrieved from file:///Users/Avery/Downloads/phase_1_brief_final_print_3.pdf
81 "Half of world's child brides to be in Africa by 2050: report. (26 November 2015). Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved from http://
elibrary.bigchalk.com/elibweb/curriculumca/do/document?urn=urn:bigchalk:US;BCLib;document;239067474
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Case Study No. 3: Brazil

By some peoples standards, Brazil might not be considered a developing country. It has a
relatively strong economy and framework for human rights standards. However, according to
Girls Not Brides, Brazil is ranked fourth in the world in terms of child marriage, and first in
South America. Like Canada, Brazilians can marry at eighteen, or sixteen with parents consent.
However, it differs from Canada, and most other countries, because Brazil allows people below
the age of sixteen to marry if they become pregnant.82 This is not based on religious beliefs, but
instead stems from the corrupt government system. While it does not officially state this as the
reason, the rationale is to allow crimes of statutory rape to go unreported, thus allowing a rapist
to not be punished. This is discriminatory toward girls because it perpetuates rape culture and
victim blaming and also sets the legal age of marriage younger than that of males, because of the
pregnancy factor. Only four other countries in the world share this policy- Venezuela, Guatemala,
Honduras and Guyana. The policy contributes to Brazils corrupt legal system. It is also a form
of legal discrimination against Brazilian females.
82 Taylor, A. (2015). Child and Adolescent Marriage in Brazil. PDF Document. Retrieved from http://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/
uploads/2015/07/SheGoesWithMyBoat_ChildAdolescentMarriageBrazil.pdf
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Something else that is specific to Brazil is the amount of unceremonious marriages. The
majority of early marriages in Brazil are usually informal, which is partly why such little
research has been done on child marriage in Brazil. For example, in 2010, approximately
500,000 girls under eighteen married informally, whereas only 25,000 married formally or
through a ceremony. Alice Taylor, author of the child marriage report of Brazil, Child and
Adolescent Marriage in Brazil, explains the difference between early marriage in Brazil as
opposed to most other countries: They are not forced into marriages in the same way [as in
other regions]. There is the agency of girls who want to leave behind the family home and
become more independent. Then, there is disappointment.83 Girls are not forced into child
marriage by their parents; they choose to leave on their own. The liberal culture of South and
Central American countries raises girls who are much more rebellious than those in Asian or
African countries. Paired with the increasing gender equality in Brazil, girls feel empowered to
prove their sexual independence by leaving school and becoming a wife. Marriage is also
equated with education in Brazil; girls believe that they will learn all they need to know from
their husbands and school is unnecessary. This belief comes from girls ultimately feeling like
they do not have a say in what happens to them, even though they do. They think that their
husband should have the final say in what path they choose in life.
Though the reasons for marrying young may differ slightly in Brazil than other countries,
it has the same negative impacts as any other developing country. The girls face domestic
violence - physical, sexual and verbal - and it compromises the economic and social growth of
the country.
83 Griffin, J. (24 November 2015). Why many girls in Brazil drop out of school and into child marriage. A World at School. Web.
Retrieved from http://aworldatschool.org
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The reasons that girls make the wrong choice is because they are uninformed about what
marriage really entails. The reason for this is that Brazils National Education Plan prohibits
discussion regarding sexuality and the inequitable gender norms that underpin child marriage in
schools. Until we can talk about gender norms and sexuality in the classroom [in Brazil], we will
never be able to address child marriage.84
There is a severe lack of awareness surrounding the number of girls getting married
before eighteen, not only among Brazilians, but also among the international community and
human rights initiatives. One of the first reports about child brides in Brazil was only published
in 2015, and it was not from an incredibly reputable source (Reuters online news source).85 Only
recently have women and girls rights in Brazil made headlines.
The sexualization of young females in Brazil is rampant. Street harassment is inevitable,
and it is an example of the dangerous rape culture that is present in this country. Adult men think
that suggesting or engaging in sexual acts with young girls is something to be proud of.
Promundo Global, a human rights organization, conducted a survey within the city of Rio de
Janeiro to collect information about sexual relationships between older men and adolescent girls.
The result was, 14% of men interviewed declared that at least once they had paid to have sex
with girls between 12 and 17; 45% of them said they did it to feel younger and more
masculine.86
The amount of sexual violence against girls and women in Brazil is very high, and this
has a lot to do with the young marriages that occur. The Brazil Forum of Public Security declared
84 Guimar, Maria Helena. (April 2002). The National Education Plan: Brazil. Planipolis. PDF Document. Retrieved from http://
planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Brazil/Brazil%20National%20Education%20Plan%20.pdf
85 Child marriage accepted in Brazil to escape abuse at home: Researchers. (15 July 2015). Retrieved May 19, 2016, from http://
www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-children-marriage-idUSKCN0PO2F520150715
86 Griffin, J. (4 January 2016). 'I challenge boys in Brazil to see girls as equals' Retrieved May 19, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.
com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jan/04/brazil-boys-girls-attitudes-gender-equality-campaigner
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that it is estimated there are 400,000 rape cases in Brazil each year. There is very little
institutionalized sexism in Brazil. Institutionalized sexism is the discrimination or oppression
against women as written in the law or as enforced by members of authority or government.
Despite this, sexual violence is widespread. This is also why it is so unsafe for adolescent girls to
be seeking a relationship with an older male.
Often times, sexual violence goes hand in hand with domestic violence. The chances that
a wife will experience domestic violence are increased by marrying young, and even more so in
a country where women are so often the victims of sexual violence.
Laura is a mother of two in Umburanas, Brazil, who was married and became pregnant at
sixteen. She is now twenty-two years old and has two children of five and two years old. Laura
left her parents at sixteen because her father was abusive. As is the case for countless other
Brazilian girls in this situation, Laura dropped out of school and sought refuge with an older
husband. After he abandoned her, Laura spent months living on the streets in severe poverty. It
was during this time that she discovered she was pregnant with the child of the man who had
abandoned her. She was eventually able to rent a destitute apartment. During her time with her
newborn daughter in this apartment, Laura lived off of 12 Brazilian Real (Brazilian currency)
every month for food for her and her daughter. This translates to approximately $4.50 CAD.
When her daughter was two, she was subject to more sexual violence at the hands of another
man, and became pregnant with his child. She was then abandoned once again.87 Today, Laura
has moved out of the apartment into a village complex. The NGO Partnership America Latina
has given the eighteen families that live in this complex, Laura included, a tractor with which
they can cultivate land to grow and sell crops. Although Lauras life started early and with much
87 Sr. Bride recently visited 4 of our projects in Brazil. (2012, March). Retrieved May 20, 2016, from http://www.palcharityprojects.ie/
2014/03/13/sr-bride-recently-visited-4-of-our-projects-in-brazil/
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difficulty, she is on track to giving her children a healthier and safer life. Lauras experience as a
young wife (even if only for a brief period of time) and a young mother had a relatively happy
ending, but she is just one example of what so many young brides in Brazil have to endure.
Laura ran from her family with the intentions of happiness with a companion who can support
her. However, because she was not educated on what a relationship with an older male can entail,
the outcome was not as she had expected. Many other girls who go through the same experience
are not as lucky to have pulled themselves out of their desperate situation, and find themselves in
a life that is worse than the one they were trying to escape.
In a way, it is ironic that Brazil is one of the worst countries in the world for child
marriage, yet there are less external factors encouraging marriage than many other countries. It is
also surprising that Brazil gives little regard to the issue because Brazil is a founding member of
the United Nations and signed the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is believed that
bringing light to the issue in a country that has such a high rate of child brides, yet little
coverage, will also set the stage for other countries that are looked over who are also struggling
with the issue.
What is really needed in Latin American countries is to stop normalizing child marriage
and pretending that it is not a prevalent issue. As well, jobs should not only be made more
accessible to girls, but it should be made clear that these opportunities are available for the girl.
Educating girls is the most important and easiest step, bringing light to the drastically different
paths that ones life might take should they choose marriage over school. Ultimately, in Brazils
case, change starts from the ground up. Educating the girl on her rights and freedoms is essential,
because in this country there is an extra factor pushing girls toward marriage: themselves.
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INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
International organizations play an integral role in addressing global and social issues. It
is very important to understand the difference between international organizations and nongovernment organizations (NGOs), because the two titles cannot be used interchangeably.
International organizations are established to achieve objectives that [governments] cannot
achieve on their own.88 They are operated and funded through the government, where nongovernment organizations, as the name suggests, do not. These are privately funded. Often times,
international organizations target a very broad topic, whereas NGOs are more specific to issue or
region. For example, one of the largest international organizations, UNICEF, focuses on aiding
children in need, and the issue of child marriage falls under one of their many departments,
Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.89 On the other hand, Girls Not Brides is
an NGO that is entirely focused on child brides. In addition, Girls Not Brides is comprised of
over 500 smaller organizations or groups situated in countries all over the world. This is effective
because they encourage inclusive and informed education on the issue at the community level.
These 500 or so community organizations can speak to families, girls, and municipal leaders
about the dangers of child marriage. This is often the only way for rural communities to receive
this information.
During a United Nations Summit in 2000, the Millennium Development Goals emerged.
These goals outlined many things, designed to tackle a number of prominent world issues that
the world faces in the twenty-first century. In the Millennium Development Goals, it was
determined that child marriage was a concern that needed to be examined more extensively in
88 Bohnig, W. (12 January 1999). The Role and Functions of International Organizations in the Field of Migrant Workers. International
Labour Organization. Retrieved from
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/mdtmanila/speeches/miworker.htm
89 Child marriage. (22 October 2014). Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse. UNICEF. Web. Retrieved from http://
www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58008.html
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the future. The problem with that is that there is no concrete plan. There is no way to measure the
success of that because the end result would be so subjective; it is quite a vague statement
without goals or standards. Unfortunately, this is actually the case with a lot of statements,
reports and proposals from significant world organizations. The United Nations has also adopted
multiple resolutions throughout the years, but they all simply recognize and reiterate, that child,
early and forced marriage is a harmful practice that violates, abuses, or impairs human rights and
is linked to and perpetuates other harmful practices and human rights violations.90 The fact that
child marriage is a human rights violation was not actually even formally acknowledged until the
United Nations resolution that they put forth in 2015. This, and every other variation of the
statement are true, but they are empty words if one does not act upon them. There needs to be
more implementation of the ideas that international organizations such as UNICEF, UN, and
UNFPA publish. A report from the United Nations Girls Education Initiative says that, Only
then will the full complexity of child marriage be understood and appropriate interventions
identified to tackle child marriage in a holistic and comprehensive way. 91 The elimination of
child marriage is currently part of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals of 2030.
The first ever summit for girls rights was held in 2014 by the United Kingdom, through
collaboration with UNICEF. The purpose of this was to put plans into action to eliminate the
practices of female genital mutilation, female infanticide, child brides and girls lack of access to
education. There are hundreds of organizations that meet, fundraise, collaborate and donate
money toward the matter of young brides. It is improving, but slowly.
90 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 69/xx Child, Early and Forced Marriage. (2014). United Nations. PDF File.
91 Branson, M. (2015). Lessons Learned from Selected National Initiatives to End Child Marriage. United Nation Girls Education
Initiative. PDF Document. Retrieved from http://www.ungei.org/resources/files/Girls_Not_Brides.pdf
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Girls Not Brides, the most established non-government organization for child marriage,
recognizes that a plateau of sorts has been reached. They proposed three ideas about what it will
mean if international and non-government organizations put their ideas into action:
1. The Global Goals for Sustainable Development and its target 5.3 must be implemented
at the country level, with concrete indicators to measure progress.
2. Governments must prioritize child marriage by developing, funding and implementing
national strategies in collaboration with civil society and ensure they are
integrated into
related strategies.
3. We must come up with solutions to prevent child marriage in conflict and humanitarian
crises, be it as a result of the Syrian conflict or natural disasters such as earthquakes and
droughts, and support girls who are married in these situations.92
To summarize, each country is different, and the same approach will not work for each one.
Girls Not Brides suggest that the ideas that international organizations put out should be used in
collaboration with smaller organizations and tailored to be able to apply to individual countries.
An example of this is in Malawi, with a woman named Theresa Kachindamoto.
Kachindamoto is the Senior Chief of the Dedza district in Malawi, and she has freed 850 girls
from the confines of marriage in the last three years.93 She achieved this by convincing the
spiritual leaders in the community to renounce the marriages. During this process, Kachindamoto
received multiple deaths threats, because this is a long-standing tradition and that is all that
everyone in the community ever knew, which is often the case. Despite the extremely negative
response, Kachindamoto persisted. This was easier because they were not civil marriages, which
92 6 Reasons Why We Made Huge Progress on Child Marriage in 2015. (23 December 2015). Girls Not Brides. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/6-reasons-why-we-made-huge-progress-on-child-marriage-in-2015/
93 Ndianaefo, M. (27 April 2016). Malawi: Chief Kachindamoto battles Child Marriage. Celebrating Progress Africa. Retrieved from
http://www.cp-africa.com/2016/04/27/malawi-chief-theresa-kachindamoto-battles-child-marriages/
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would have to go through court in order to obtain a legal divorce. Chief Kachindamoto did this
by getting leaders within the region to change customary laws. This was an unusual way to go
about it because this method has proven to not work in the past. The reason that it worked in this
instance is because Kachindamoto actually employed efforts that monitor the communities to
ensure that laws are being upheld and enforced. She hired multiple people that she likes to call
secret mothers and fathers who are in charge of watching over the various communities in the
Dedza region of Malawi. If an early marriage is occuring, it is their responsibility to report back
to Chief Kachindamoto.94 Not only has Kachindamotos efforts broken up 850 marriages, but she
has sent all of the girls back to school. She pays for the schooling herself or through private
sponsors.
Kachindamotos case is an example of just how effective grassroots and non-government
organizations can be, especially on an issue like this. Because it is so deeply rooted in family
values, religion and tradition, abolishing child marriage often takes a lot more than just telling
parents about their wrong doings or convincing them that what they are doing is harmful. Many
experts agree that the best approach to tackling it is one small community at a time, through
multiple, smaller initiatives.
Both non-government organizations and international organizations play an integral role
in combatting global issues. For the most part, organizations that are run through the government
are responsible for large rule reform. They have the power to organize countries to work together
on an international scale. These organizations will sometimes have the ability to reinforce laws.
They are also sometimes able to have an influence in policies that governments put in place.
Additionally, another important role of international organizations is collecting information.
94 Chutel, L. (9 April 2016).
and-
A female chief in Malawi is breaking up child marriages and sending kids back to school.
QuartsAfrica.com. Retrieved from http://qz.com/658229/a-female-chief-in-malawi-is-breaking-up-child-marriagessending-kids-back-to-school/
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Often they have experts with doctorates working for them, those who are educated in sociology,
globalization, or demography. Current statistics are very important, as they keep governments
updated on the state of the issue.
However, non-government organizations are typically responsible for funding. Some of
them are not-for-profit, meaning that all of the money raised goes toward the cause and not to the
people who are working for the organization. They can also be specific to different regions. This
is beneficial because the focus of the organizations initiatives can be tailored to the situation
within that country. For example, an organization working within a country where the basis of
child marriage is religious might launch initiatives to educate the religious leaders of
communities to prohibit the marriage of girls below eighteen.
Another big role that non-government organizations have, especially smaller NGOs, is
educating the people. Child marriage primarily occurs in developing countries where media
access is limited, or communities are rural and isolated. Therefore, information is not easily
spread, and international organizations efforts are not effective in this situation. In order to get
information across to adults and children involved in child marriage, it is necessary to have
representatives from these smaller organizations travelling around educating the people in small
numbers. This way they can work with the people on a more intimate and personal level. This is
especially important when talking to people about sensitive subjects like how their family values
and religion are hurting their daughters. Together, both NGOs and international organizations
have a responsibility to raise awareness on the issue and improve the lives of girls affected by
this issue.
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CONNECTIONS TO CANADA
The practice of forced, early, or child marriage is definitely much more prevalent in
developing countries than it is in Canada, and this can be attributed to our developed
infrastructure and progressive approach to social issues. In some regions of the globe, child
marriage is something that is ingrained in their culture and leaders and citizens lack the critical
thinking skills necessary to piece together why it is so detrimental to the safety of young girls
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everywhere. Canada has a minimum marriage age of eighteen, or sixteen with all legal
guardians and the Supreme Court of Canadas consent.
Canada still has a connection to child brides, in more ways than one might think. First of
all, Canada is one of the leading countries involved in attempting to abolish child marriage
globally. In 2013, Canada was the leader in proposing action plans to end child marriage at the
United Nations General Assembly. The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives promised to give $10
million (CAD) to organizations aiding victims of forced marriage.95
Canada is contributing $20 million (CAD) over two years to UNICEFs efforts in
abolishing child marriage in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Yemen and Zambia.
Canada also gave Girls Not Brides an initial investments of $8 million (CAD). This money
comes from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. In 2015, Canada made much progress toward
ending early marriage than in any previous year.
Canada even has its own non-governmental organization geared toward decreasing the
number of child brides, and it is very successful. Plan International supports girls access to
education so that they are less likely to become child brides and more likely to break through the
poverty cycle. Plan International is a not-for-profit organization, meaning all of its proceeds go
toward the issue and none is kept for the organization itself.
Even though Canada is a leader in ending child marriage, cases of early marriage can still
be found in Canada, though they are few and far between. Religion is the main driving force
behind the few child brides in Canada, specifically the fundamentalist Mormon religion.
Mormon is a religion that branches off of Christianity. One of the things that fundamentalists are
known for is being notoriously polygamous. Polygamy is the act of having multiple sexual
95 Oranje, M. (21 November 2014). A leader in fighting child marriage, Canada can still do more. The Toronto Star. Web. Retrieved
from http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/11/21/
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partners or wives, and is illegal in Canada. Despite its illegality, a number of polygamous sects
still practice polygamy. Mormon polygamous sect leaders will have wives as young as sixteen,
which would be illegal except for the fact that their parents have given consent for their
daughters to be married at this age. The other issue that is actually not against the law is the
polygamy, because it is practiced on the basis of religion. The Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms says that anyone is allowed to freely practice their religion in Canada. It is for these
two reasons that Mormon polygamy in Canada has been a very tough issue to dissect and press
charges on those who perpetuate it. Nonetheless, Mormonism encourages child brides even
within the developed and progressive country of Canada.
A current case that is ongoing within Canada is Winston Blackmore, a Mormon
polygamous sect leader who married ten of his twenty-two wives while they were below the age
of eighteen, two of them being just fifteen. Blackmore first had sex with the girls when they were
sixteen; he was forty-two at the time. Technically, Blackmores case is legal because he had the
consent of the girls parents, and he is practicing polygamy on the basis of his religion. However,
Blackmore did not actually have formally written consent from the parents, or the required
consent from a Superior Court judge when marrying a girl under the age of sixteen, nor did he
ever obtain an official marriage licence that renders him officially married under the province of
British Columbia.96 It is for these reasons that his case is being appealed to the British Columbia
Court of Appeal, It is suspected that his case will go through to be appealed by the Supreme
Court of Canada, because it impacts the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In this situation, legal experts say that there should be a separation between crime and
religion. It is also important to look at Section No. 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and
96 Bramham, D. (8 September 2014). Canadas notorious polygamist leader admits under oath to marrying child brides. The
Vancouver
Sun. Web. Retrieved from www.vancouversun.com
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Freedoms: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set
out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by laws as can be demonstrably
justified in a free and democratic society.97 This means that anyone has the right to practice their
religion in Canada, providing the rules that the religion outlines do not compromise the health
and safety of the people involved or of the general public. Therefore, although the child marriage
practices of this Mormon sect are being performed on the basis of religion, the practice violates
Section No. 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Therefore, there should be a
separation of crime and religion in the Winston Blackmore case so that he can be tried under the
former. Depending on the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, Blackmore will be rightfully
charged with acts of polygamy, statutory rape, and for violating the laws regarding age of
consent in Canada.
There are just over one million Muslims in Canada. Most of them find a good balance
between honouring their religion and respecting the rights that the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms put in place for Canadians. Canada has very strict laws surrounding marriage; one
must be at least eighteen to marry, or sixteen with parental and judicial consent. In the past few
years there were 100 documented cases in Ontario alone of Muslim men who had gone to their
home country to wed a young bride and then tried to bring them back into the country. If the
bride is younger than sixteen, the husbands proposal to come back into the country is rejected.
The man and his wife that he is attempting to sponsor as an immigrant to Canada must reapply
when the bride turns sixteen. Once again, Canada does its best to respect citizens religious
freedoms while recognizing that there is a line that, if crossed, can be detrimental to the safety of
other citizens.
97 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.),
1982, c. 11 (CanLII).
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SOLUTIONS
Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their
education, health and long-term prospects, states Babatunde Osotimehin, M.D, who is the
executive director of UNFPA. A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be
fulfilled. Since many parents and communities also want the very best for their daughters, we
must work together and end child marriage. 98
98 Child Marriages: 39,000 Every Day More than 140 million girls will marry between 2011 and 2020. (2013). United Nations Envoy
million-
on Youth. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2013/09/child-marriages-39000-every-day-more-than-140girls-will-marry-between-2011-and-2020/
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In Nepal, The International Center for Research on Womens Development Initiative

Supporting Healthy Adolescents program reduced the number of child brides to more than half
of the initial percentage. This program was geared toward going around to different villages in
Nepal and educating girls on their rights to marry who they want, when they want. It proved to
be very effective. The people doing this also spoke to boys. It is important that boys are educated
so they know just how much girls are affected if they marry young girls.
By the end of 2015, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Nepal, Uganda, and Zambia
had finalised strategies, initiatives or action plans on child marriage, while Egypt and Ethiopia
continued to implement their existing strategies.99
A lot of governments understand what is going on in their countries in regards to
religious influences. They know that religious leaders hold more authority than they do when it
comes to who the people listen to. In the case of early marriage, It is easy for states to wash
their hands clean when they ratify all the necessary conventions and take all the necessary legal
steps.100 Some governments believe that their duty is done because they have a minimum
marriage age and laws set around the age of consent, relationships with a minor, and other
policies. However, this is only the beginning when it comes to the responsibility of governments.
In order to eradicate the practice of child marriage in their country, governments should be
ensuring that the laws that they set in place are being followed. Especially in undeveloped
countries, formal laws mean very little to the people who are so loyal to their traditions.
Therefore, governments should continue to push their cause and enact appropriate punishment
for resisting the law. Governments are doing themselves a disservice by ignoring the widespread
99 6 Reasons Why We Made Huge Progress on Child Marriage in 2015. (23 December 2015). Girls Not Brides. Web. Retrieved from
http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/6-reasons-why-we-made-huge-progress-on-child-marriage-in-2015/
100 Alyunak, O. (11 February 2014). The inconvenient truth about child brides. opendemoncracy.net. Web. Retrieved from https://
www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/oguz-alyanak-funda-ustek/inconvenient-truth-about-child-brides
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epidemic of child marriage. If girls were given more opportunities in life than becoming a wife
and mother too young, the positive influence on that country would be immeasurable.
In addition, to ensure that those who fall victim to marriage at a young age continue to be
protected, it is imperative that their rights are still considered after they have escaped a marriage.
If laws are put in place, it is likely that there will be rules included about already existing
marriages and reparations that a girl must receive, probably in the form of monetary aid and
ensuring that she returns back to school. These laws should include that any woman, no matter
her age, can divorce her husband and return back to school. According to the United Nations
International Childrens Emergency Fund, 700 million females alive today are child brides.101
This includes girls who are still younger than eighteen, and women who are older. No matter
their age, all women should have the ability to divorce their husbands and change certainly does
not just come from preventing young girls from becoming brides.
If there is no change made in regard to child brides, by 2050 there will be approximately
1.2 billion girls who were and are married before eighteen around the world.102
101 Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse. (22 October 2014). UNICEF. Retrieved from
http://www.unicef.org/protection/
57929_58008.html
102 UNICEF. (2014, July 22). Ending female genital mutilation and child marriage - No Time To Lose. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpUZXwR5-pw
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CONCLUSION
The issue of girls marrying young is not new, neither is it simple. It is a tradition that is
sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity. Sometimes it is because of ignorance. There are
usually a few main reasons why this issue remains so prevalent in the twenty-first century: lack
of education, lack of gender equality, poverty, and religious influence. Lack of education results
in ignorance, but this ignorance can be excused because of the instability of developing
countries, or because it is the least important of all its citizens needs. Education is important in
this situation for a multitude of reasons. With education, parents can learn about the dangers of
premature marriage, as well as the other options, such as how much more a daughter will benefit
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from staying in school. With education, the girls can learn about their own rights and choices, as
well as simply becoming more likely to get a job that will lift her out of poverty, thus also
reducing the number of child brides. Education gives people the stepping block that is needed to
rise out of poverty, thus reducing the number of child brides.
Child marriage is a violation of basic human rights. As soon as a young girl enters into
marriage she is deprived of rights and freedoms as well as becoming dependent and even more
vulnerable than she already was as a girl living in poverty. There are significant safety concerns
where child brides are concerned. Girls below the age of eighteen are substantially more
susceptible to complications or fatalities during pregnancy and childbirth. In the marriage it is
likely that they will face verbal, physical and sexual abuse. They also face the risk of being
abandoned once the child is born, which leaves them extremely defenceless.
When a girl is married off to an older man, often times he can not sympathize with the
childs plight because he himself is not a child. These men take advantage of their young wives
and profit off their sexuality, naivet and weakness. Formal education is not necessary to
recognize that a man does not have the innocence that a child does. He has the ability to hurt the
child. But parents do this so their daughter benefits monetarily. Marrying a girl off to someone
the same age as them is pointless, as a younger boy does not have the same access to resources
and money. However, this renders the girl dependent on someone else. It does not help them be
self-sufficient, therefore it is not an efficient method to advance society. Being married off
deprives a girl of her education; As a result, child brides who are more likely to come from
poor families in the first place are likely to remain poor.103 The act of marrying the daughter
off is a temporary solution to a very large and drawn out problem. The solution cannot be fixed
103 Save The Children. (2014). Too Young to Wed: The growing problem of child marriage among Syrian girls in Jordan. Retrieved
from
http://savethechildren.org
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in one generation whatsoever. However, it certainly cannot ever be fixed if the girl is not given
the tools necessary to survive on her own. This will also help put developing countries on the
right track towards equity among the sexes.
The reality is that child marriage is a global issue because of the ripple effect of keeping
girls out of school and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. It is detrimental to the advancement of
the girl child, therefore her community, therefore her country, therefore the world. Globalization
means that issues that occur in some countries affect other countries because we continue to
become more closely tied with each other. Because of this, the violation of human rights is not
the only reason why this issue should be tackled immediately. Despite international agreements
and laws, early marriage continues to be an omnipresent issue. Children everywhere deserve the
right to safety, love, a childhood and education, and by absolutely no means should they continue
to be taken advantage of, exploited and abused.
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Appendix I: 104
104 Wodon, Q. (November 2015). Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: Preliminary Findings from analyses of existing data. The
Economic Impacts. Web. [PDF File].
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II: 105
Appendix
105 Myers, J. Untying the Knot: Exploring Early Marriage in Fragile States. WorldVision.org. Retrieved from http://www.worldvi
sion.org/resources.nsf/main/press-reports/$file/Untying-the-Knot_report.pdf
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7 G. Dyer, personal communications, 4 April 2016.

19 Fistula: A longterm consequence of early marriage. (2013). TooYoungToWed.org. Retrieved from

implemented, the inadequacy of birth registration systems reinforces the de facto

Web. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/rls/rem/2010/144989.htm

41 India. (n.d.). Girls Not Brides. Retrieved from http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/india/

Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/sep/18/end-childmalawi-girls

Centre for Research on Women, 13. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-theRights-and-Health-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf

Centre for Research on Women, 11. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-theRights-and-Health-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf

THE LOGIC OF EVIL

for Research on Women. Retrieved from https://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Too-Young-to-Wed-the-LivesHealth-of-Young-Married-Girls.pdf

Case Study No. 2: Niger

When you invest in a girl, the whole world benefits.73

78 Education. Girls Not Brides. Web. Retrieved from http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/themes/education/

Case Study No. 3: Brazil

Sun. Web. Retrieved from www.vancouversun.com

on Youth. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2013/09/child-marriages-39000-every-day-more-than-140girls-will-marry-between-2011-and-2020/

In Nepal, The International Center for Research on Womens Development Initiative

India. (n.d.). Girls Not Brides. Retrieved from http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/in

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