Child Marriage

Group Five- Aatmaja, Revathy, Gouri Nandini, Amrita,

Devanarayan, Aditya, Abhijith, Krishnapriya.
Introduction
 Child marriage is a legal marriage or informal union where
one or both parties are children under the age of 18. A
second form of practice of child marriage is that in which
the parents of the two children (the girl and boy) arrange a
future marriage. In this practice, the individuals (the boy
and girl) do not meet one another until they reach the
marriageable age, when the wedding ceremony is
performed. As per law, the marriageable age is 21 for
males and 18 for females.Gender inequality, social norms,
perceived low status of girls, poverty, lack of education,
safety concerns about girl children and control over
sexuality are considered to be reasons for prevalence of
child marriages. Girl children in rural areas are more
affected than their urban counterparts.
 What is Child
Marriage

Child under Adult

the age of
18
Where does child marriage occur?

Child marriage is a worldwide problem, particularly in developing nations. It cuts across ethnic, cultural,
and religious lines and can be found in almost every region — from Africa to the Middle East, Asia to
Europe, and the Americas.

There are actually only a handful of countries that don’t specify a minimum age for people to legally
marry. But even in countries where there are laws to prevent child marriage — like Bangladesh — the
practice is deeply rooted in their culture and largely accepted in society. Laws are rarely enforced, and
there are always exceptions to the rule. Children are often allowed to marry as long as there is parental
consent, regardless of their age.
Why does Child Marriage happen?

The causes of child marriage are complex and

varied. It’s motivated by different factors across
communities and regions -sometimes even
within the same country. However, it is most
closely linked with low levels of economic
development. Overwhelmingly, child brides
come from the world’s most impoverished
nations.
Why child marriage ?
1. POVERTY

● Less access to education

● Reduce family costs
● Young &
uneducated=less dowry
2. TRADITION
❏ Norms and beliefs
❏ Menstruation

*a girl become a woman

*Considered as a sin
❏ Preserve family honour
3. SURVIVAL

● For other families, forced child

marriage is a survival strategy.
● Child marriage is also seen as a way to
protect girls in a hostile environment.
● If they cannot afford to feed and
educate all of their children, marrying
off the girls eliminates the burden of
feeding them, while also allowing
parents to give preference to boys’
schooling.
WHY IS CHILD MARRIAGE HARMFUL?

● Girls who marry as children are less likely to reach their full potential.
● They’re expected to take on the role of a grown woman — keeping house and
raising a family — rather than going to school and enjoying childhood.
A child bride’s future is often not of her own choosing”
 HEALTH

● Physically and emotionally

not prepared
● Higher risk
● Complications in pregnancy
● Increased risk of violence
POVERTY
❏ Children become
disempowered
❏ Economic burden
❏ Cycle of poverty
Solutions to end child marriage

1. Educating girls
2. Empowering girls
3. Providing girls and their
families with income
opportunities
EDUCATION

● Education plays an important role in child marriage.

● In a study its shown that : Girls who have no education are three times
more likely to get married before 18 than girls who attend secondary
school or higher.
● Parents and community leaders may not see the value in continuing to
educate a girl, seeing it as unnecessary for her primary roles in life as a
wife and mother.
Conclusion
Child marriage has large impacts on a wide range of development
outcomes for the girls who are married early, their children and
families, and societies at large. Close to 100 million girls today are
not protected by national law against child marriage. In countries
where the minimum age for marriage is not set at 18, laws should be
adopted specifying 18 as the minimum age for marriage, eliminating
exceptions with parental or judicial consent for minors, and
harmonizing discrepancies with customary and religious laws when
such disparities exist. Legal reforms setting the legal age for
marriage at 18 or higher and eliminating parental or judicial
exceptions must be accompanied by a wide range of additional
policies and interventions. Many Governments are now adopting
national strategies to end child marriages, but what is even more
important is the adoption of action plans with clear interventions to
delay marriage and increase investment in the poorest and most
marginalized girls.
Thank you