How do I bring an end to child marriages in my community?

It might be hard to imagine that in many countries across South Asia and Africa, getting married right after you hit puberty is common. For instance, Niger has the highest child marriage rate with 75 percent of girls married before 18. Chad, Bangladesh, and Guinea also have alarming rates of child marriages. Child marriages impact both boys and girls, but often girls bear the biggest brunt of this injustice.

Any marriage under the age of 18 is a child marriage and should be considered a violation of human rights. However, in countries like Afghanistan, the minimum age may be 15 or 16.

Child marriage is especially prevalent in communities and societies where:

• Poverty is widespread and financial security is rare

• There is little access to education

• Gender inequality is rampant

• Legal loopholes allow families to get away with child marriages

• Climate change, natural disasters, war, and the uncertainty and financial struggle that come from them are common

• Birth and death rates are high

• Little to no healthcare is provided

• Traditions and cultural expectations are restrictive

• Birth registration is lacking and it's difficult to know the exact age of the person

• The start of a period for a girl marks her ready for adulthood and marriage

While both genders suffer if they get married before they emotionally and physically develop, it has longer-lasting effects on the health, development, and well-being of young girls.

Early marriages lead to early pregnancies in which the body has not fully developed to bear children. This can lead to difficult pregnancies and losing children.

A girl's brain has not fully developed and is not ready to take on the responsibilities of managing household duties and in-laws. She has little or no decision-making power and negotiation skills to safeguard her interests or sexual and reproductive rights.

Marrying young can make girls vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases or violence and abuse. It also impacts their ability to complete their education and reduces their mobility, as well as economic and employment opportunities.

Often in the conversation around child marriage, the problems and long-term consequences that boys or child grooms face are ignored.

Child grooms take up adult responsibilities far too early and have extreme pressure to provide for a family. They sometimes drop out of school so they can take up a job.

Leaving school early means limiting their future opportunities for career growth and salary increments. Many child grooms suffer from depression, loneliness, and extreme stress.

• Governments

• Schools and teachers

• NGOs and human rights activists

• Research centers, hospitals, and healthcare institutions

• Lawyers and laws around the prevention of child marriages

• Police

• Extended families

• Neighbors

If we want child marriages to stop, communities and youth need to rally together and contact different stakeholders to make sure this practice is not normalized.

Depending on the country you live in, there are various ways to report it.

In Pakistan, you can report a child marriage to the Social Welfare Department and Child Protection Unit or dial 1121 (Sindh Child Protection Authority) for complaints.

Here's an example:

Fatima is a 14-year-old girl living with her parents and two younger siblings in a village. She left school as her mother was unwell.

Fatima’s mother is worried about her marriage and wants to see her settled. She requested relatives to find a suitable match for Fatima.

One day an aunt visits Fatima's house and informs her parents that she has found a match for Fatima. The boy is 25, the youngest of four siblings. He is well-off and agreeable to the marriage. Fatima’s parents are happy but she is disturbed and sad.

Her parents are unaware of the consequences of early marriages and don't understand that their daughter will be better off if she completes her education and becomes independent.

• Raising the legal minimum age of marriage for boys and girls to 18 years

• Making child marriages a punishable offense

• Imprisoning a man over 18 years of age who contracts a child marriage

• Jail time or punishing anyone who solemnizes an underage marriage

• Prosecution for parents or guardians who authorize or fail to prevent a child marriage

What can you do end to child marriages in your community?