Marriages by: Victoria Gittinger The presence of child/forced marriages in todays society is both alarming and concerning as child/forced marriages have been known to produce abuse and the dehumanization of women.
As what will be shown,
the happiness of women/children forced into marriage is hard to come by, and is most often dismissed by their husbands at their wive's expense. The Extent of the Problem Statistics provided by Macleans Its Time to Change the Story About Child Marriage, show that Each and every year, child marriage cuts short the childhoods of another 15 million girls nearly 2 million of who wont even have reached their 15th birthday and increases their risk of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of husbands sometimes twice their age,(Maclean para. 1).
The abuse often goes unpunished by
the government and is even sometimes encouraged as a way to "keep your wife obedient and in line." Its Causes Literacy statistics taken in poorer countries show that, 37.9% of urban women and 69% of rural women remain illiterate. Compared to illiteracy levels of 18.4 and 41.6% for urban and rural men, respectively, it can be seen that the discrepancy between women and men remains large,(Sabbe, 136). This is not the only discrepancy, as Figures released by the Ministry of Justice for the year 2010 reveal that 41,098 child marriages were authorized,(Sabbe, 136) where previously a law had been enacted raising the minimum marital age to 18. Its Effects
The lack of concern in the
government thus dooms the women in the marriages to suffer quietly at their husbands hands, just because they deem it so. This also unconsciously promotes families in poverty to give away their daughters to wealthy men in order to receive a bride price to stay afloat. Potential Solutions As stated by Women's International Network News, Poverty disempowers females by reducing their access to education and ultimately to a means of survival. . .,(para. 2). Although most of my research did not provide potential solutions, I believe that higher education and financial support could help limit the amount of child/forced marriages and abuse in 2nd and 3rd world countries.
The suffering of women in child/forced
marriages is something we cant ignore. The abuse and trauma that occur because of loose morals is only encouraged the longer this practice goes unpunished. These illegal marriages stem mostly from poverty stricken families using the bride price from these marriages as a way to survive and make quick cash. But with the support of a good education, these women now have a chance to better themselves and their society. We must make an effort to support these women by offering higher education and financial support in their community and around the world. MLA
Africa: Forced Marriage of Young
Girls Destroys Their Lives." Women's International Network News, vol. 25, no. 3, Summer99, p. 56. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2132356&si te=ehost-live. "It's Time to Change the Story about Child Marriage." Maclean's, vol. 130, no. 3, Apr. 2017, p. 61. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=121560250 &site=ehost-live. Kopelman, Loretta M. "The Forced Marriage of Minors: A Neglected Form of Child Abuse." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, vol. 44, no. 1, Spring2016, pp. 173-181. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1073110516644208 Sabbe, Alexia, et al. "Womens Perspectives on Marriage and Rights in Morocco: Risk Factors for Forced and Early Marriage in the Marrakech Region." Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 17, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 135- 149. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.964773.