Child marriages must stop says UNICEF

Armed with statistics showing that half of all girls in some countries are married by the time they reach age 18, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called on Wednesday for a global campaign to prevent the widespread phenomenon of child marriage. This call, on the eve of International Women's Day, was part of a new report released on Wednesday by UNICEF. Entitled "Early Marriage: Child Spouses," it discussed why early marriage continues and may even be on the rise among extremely poor populations. "Forcing children, especially girls, into early marriages can be physically and emotionally harmful," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said. "It violates their rights to personal freedom and growth. Yet until now there has been virtually no attempt to examine child marriage as a human rights violation in and of itself." By analyzing child marriage as a violation of a child's basic rights, the report seeks to build momentum for change. "This is another step in a growing movement to end the silent despair of millions of children, especially girls, who are being shuttered away in lives often full of misery and pain," Bellamy said. Child marriages can be found across the globe, but are pervasive in certain countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The countries with the highest percentage of girls aged 15-19 who are already married include: Democratic Republic of Congo: 74 percent, Niger: 70 percent, the Republic of Congo: 56 percent, Uganda: 50 percent, Mali: 50 percent. Early marriage is generally more prevalent in Central and Western Africa - affecting 40 percent and 49 percent respectively of girls under 19 - compared to 27 percent in East Africa and 20 percent in North and Southern Africa. Many of these young brides are second and third wives in polygamous households. The report examined many of the implications of child marriage, from its restriction of personal freedom to its impact on health and education. For both boys and girls, early marriage has profound physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional consequences, cutting off educational opportunities and chances for personal growth. For girls, in addition, it will almost certainly mean premature pregnancy - which causes higher rates of maternal mortality - and is likely to lead to a lifetime of domestic and sexual subservience. Teenage girls are also more susceptible than mature women to sexually-transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. Their vulnerability is dangerously increased because of the false belief in many places that if a man sleeps with a virgin, he will be cured of HIV/AIDS. The traditional desire to protect girls from out-of-wedlock pregnancies is also a primary factor. A recent UNICEF survey showed that 44 percent of 20-24 year-old women in Niger were married before they reached age 15 because of this concern. In the communities studied, all decisions on the timing of marriage and the choice of spouse were made by the father. According to UNICEF a first step to preventing child marriage is to inform parents and young people of its negative implications so that they can choose to prevent it. Education is key in this process. Persuading parents to keep their daughters in school is critical for the overall development of girls and in the postponement of marriage.