Sakib 48

to prevent child marriage indicate bthat few of these have been evaluated (Jain & Kurz 2007; Hervish
& Feldman-Jacobs 2011; Mukherjee et al 2008). For example, only 10 percent of the programs
identified in the 2007 ICRW scan had been evaluated. Still fewer were evaluated using rigorous
methodologies or included information about the evaluation process. Thus, while we
know something about what has been attempted to prevent child marriage, we know
little about how successful these efforts have been. To address this gap, this brief focuses on and
systematically analyzes the small number of evaluated programs with the goal of preventing child
marriage. This analysis provides guidance not only on what has worked, but what can be done to
strengthen current and future efforts to prevent child marriage. One of three target areas under
integrated approach proposed is Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence. It identifies Harmful
Traditional Practices as the causes and consequences of gender based inequalities as the ramification
of the various forms of violence against girls and women is profound for individual, society and
economy. Therefore, one of the proposed indicators is to monitor the percentage of women (20-24
years) reported being married before 18 years. It is therefore, the obligation of the duty bearers to
identify and strengthen the integrated pathways that acknowledges the value of girl children, build
their social assets and eliminates barriers like child marriage on their progress towards empowerment.
(Visit http://www.girlsnotbrides.com)
 Sakib 1

Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Out Set
South Asia is the southern region of Asia the largest continent of world. The country of ex-
subcontinent such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, The Maldives, India and Pakistan belong
to south Asia. Another country outside of the sub-continent, Afghanistan also belongs to the southern
region of Asia. These eight country form a regional body South Asia Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) strengthen the socio-political and socio-economic relationships among the
nations

Marriage is a social contract between a man and woman. Though which they can live together breed
children. This social bond should be recognized by their respective religion. Any one of the couple is
permitted by social and religion to break the contract. So the marriage relationship is always fragile
and weak. This is why husband and wife should be matured enough to know and understand each
other. A successful marriage depends on the majority of love and respect. A true love and requires
patience, mutual understanding and tolerance. Financial security is a major factor of a successful
marriage. So love, marriage and money are much complimentary to

According to UNICEF a girl below 18 or a boy 21 is a child. If a boy and a girl of underage get
marriage, it is called early marriage. Each marriage is a direct threat to the socio-economic
developments of a nation. If husband and wife are not matured enough by age they cannot learn t6o
handle household works properly. With the growth of age, maturity of a man and women develops.
As the husband and wife are the people of under age, they cannot grow mature descendants. At the
same time being immature parents these young people cannot do anything with the sense of
belongings and responsibility. So the young parents do not bring up their children with proper care
and guide. As the same time, they cannot take care of their own parents. Gradually there are totally
unable to take care of their neighbors and nation
 Sakib 2

1.2 Socio-Cultural Background of Early Marriage in South Asia

Child marriage is a human rights crisis occurring on an alarming scale in South Asia. South Asia
accounts for almost half of all child marriages that occur globally the most of any region in the world.
Child marriage rates in South Asia are the second-highest in the world, behind only West Africa. In
terms of numbers, one-half of all girls affected by child marriage reside in South Asia. Plans Asia
Child Marriage Initiative (ACMI) is a multi-country initiative started in 2010. This initiative aims to
prevent child marriage and mitigate its negative consequences by understanding the practices of child
marriage and exploring pathways for addressing the issue. Marriage of children less than 18 years has
been legally prohibited in all three countries, yet prevalence remains high. Plans programs in
Bangladesh, India and Nepal address the problem of child marriage in different ways. Plan
Bangladesh aims to increase the mean age of marriage from 15-18 years and works with the national
government to strengthen online birth registration and enforcement of the Child Marriage Restraint
Act of 1929. Plan Indias goal is to improve knowledge, attitudes and practices in regard to child
marriage and track the percentage of child marriages in its working areas.

Figure : 1.1 (An early marriage is on progress.)

 Sakib 3

Plan Nepal sees child marriage as an aspect of gender-based violence and aims to build the capacity
and commitment of children, their families and communities to eliminate the practice. Child marriage,
defined internationally as marriage where one or both spouses are under the age of 18,2 is legally
prohibited under many national laws in the region as well as by international human rights treaties
adopted by South Asian countries; however, the practice persists with impunity. In South Asia, 46%
of women between ages 20-24 report having been married before age 18, in 2010, this translated to
24.4 million women in the region. Estimates project that from 2010 to 2030, 130 million more girls
in the region will be married. Governments in South Asia have an absolute legal obligation to
eliminate child marriage. The extensive repercussions of child marriage violate the international and
constitutional obligations of states to protect childrens rights and discriminatorily interfere with
womens and girls ability to enjoy a broad range of human rights. nearly 14% of the girls in Indias
largest state (Uttar Pradesh) are married between the ages of 10-14 years, whereas in the central
province of Madhya Pradesh, 11% of urban and 16.4% of rural girls are married between the ages of
10-14 years. (Visit http://www.unicef.com)

AGE OF MARRIAGE IN SOUTH ASIA

0-15 15-18 18-22 22++

14%
25%

8%

53%

Figure : 1.1 (Age of Marriage in South Asia)

In Nepal, the law has helped in increasing the age at marriage. However, the data which included
female marriages at all ages showed that ethnicity is the major factor of age at marriage in Nepal. The
ethnic groups are mostly concentrated in the Terai region, which borders India, and where the cultural
 Sakib 4

norms and practices are highly influenced by the culture of north India. In contrast to other groups,
especially in the mountain region, women belonging to the Terai groups are generally confined to
farming; they exercise comparatively less control over the economic resources and decision-making.
The most notable data from Nepal is 83.1% of girls of some ethnic groups marry before they are 15
years old. 79.6% Muslim girls marry before they are 15 years old. 69.7% girls in the mountainous
and hilly regions marry at the age of 15 whereas 55.7% in rural Nepal marry before they turn 15.
Early marriage is more common in Surkhet district of mid-western Nepal. One of the findings of the
study is that higher caste girls do not feel the pressure to marry at a very young age and while they
are in primary school. But when they reach 13 years, pressure is put on them especially if they fail
their school exams. If they are doing well their parents will often let them continue with their studies.
Lower caste girls have much higher pressure and less choice. A survey of adults 25-29 years old
revealed that in Pakistan 37% of the girls were married before the legal age, which at the time was16.
In Pakistan, as in other countries of South Asia, early marriage is more common in rural areas. Also
people living in rural areas observe traditions more closely than those who live in urban areas. (Visit
http://www.cyberscience.com/earlymarrriage+south+asia)

Figure : 1.2 (Child Marriage Rates in World)

The persistence of child marriage in South Asia indicates the widespread failure of governments to
address one of the most critical human rights issues facing women and girls in the region and the
 Sakib 5

absence of state accountability for violations of their human rights and constitutional rights. Child
marriage does not constitute a single rights violation; rather, every instance of child marriage triggers
a continuum of violations that continues throughout a girls life. Child marriage endangers the
survival and well-being of women and girls by exposing them to forced initiation into sex and ongoing
sexual violence, as well as to early, unplanned, and frequent pregnancies.

Further, women and girls married as children are often denied educational opportunities, are isolated
from society, and face a lifetime of economic dependence. Together, child marriage and early
pregnancy trap generations of women in cycles of poverty.8 These harms result in significant
violations of girls rights, including their reproductive rights and their right to freedom from gender-
based violence. Ensuring accountability for child marriage entails both holding responsible those
officials who have failed to implement laws and policies against the practice, and addressing legal
and social barriers that prevent married girls seeking to leave such marriages from being able to do
so. It also requires the introduction of specific legal measures and remedies to address the particular
needs of married girls. (Visit http://www.bookbone.com)

1.3 An Outline of the Chapter Analysis

Chapter One
In this chapter I have discussed about the child marriage, I have tried to explain the definition of
child marriage and what is needed to make a successful marriage. I have also discussed the socio-
cultural background of South Asia.
Chapter Two
In this chapter I have talked about the reasons that are causing early marriage in South Asia. There
are several reasons that are resulting early marriage. Which are, Illiteracy and ignorance, Poverty,
Lack of consciousness, Local customs, Lack of application of law and justice.
Chapter Three
In this chapter I have discussed about the effects of early marriage in our society and socio-
economic life style. Here I have discussed the topic, health hazards, birth of premature child,
increase of population, threat to civilization, increase of the number of divorce cases.
Chapter Four
In this chapter I have talked about the possible solutions about how to overcome tis social
problem. Here I have discussed the solutions like, removing illiteracy and ignorance, eradicating
 Sakib 6

poverty, increasing social consciousness, ignoring bad customs, strict implementation of law and
justice.
Chapter Five
Here, in this chapter I have concluded the chapter. I have discussed my opinion about the topic
and said how to overcome the situation. I have said how to overcome this social problem which
has been occurring in our society for a long period. I suggest every person living in society will
take a strong action before this social problem and try to eradicate this problem permanently.
 Sakib 7

Chapter Two
Reasons of Early Marriage

2.1 Out Set

Child marriage is a serious human rights crisis and one of the most pressing development concerns in
the world today. Defined as marriage under the age of 18 (UN 2000), child marriage
disproportionately and negatively affects girls who are more likely to be married as children than
boys. Currently over 60 million girls and women are affected by child marriage globally (ICRW
2011). Child marriage is particularly pervasive across South Asia and Africa, where 50-70 percent of
girls in some countries are married before the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2009).

Apart from being a human rights violation child marriage has grave consequences for girls
reproductive and sexual health, impeding their overall development and wellbeing. Child marriage
denies girls their childhood, as well as crucial education and employment opportunities. It makes
them vulnerable to sexual and other forms of physical violence and abuse. Despite these adverse
consequences, child marriages continue unabated. This is indeed a matter of grave concern and it
requires serious deliberation and action. There are initiatives on child marriage prevention undertaken
by state and development organizations in South Asia. Despite most countries enacting laws that
stipulate 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage for girls, child marriage is widely prevalent in
South Asia. Most of the marriages are arranged by parents and local leaders with or without the
consent of the girl. A variety of factors perpetuate child marriage, including a high value placed on
girls sexuality, gender discrimination, aps in national laws, poor enforcement of child marriage
prevention laws, illiteracy, poor access to education poverty and instability due to conflict and natural
disasters. These structural drivers of child marriage are discussed below.

2.2 Illiteracy and Ignorance

In general terms, illiteracy is an inability to use language -- an inability to read, write, listen and speak.
Today, it is usually taken to mean being unable to read and write at a level adequate for written
communication or at a level that will allow an individual to function at certain levels of society. In
the simplest of terms, illiteracy is the opposite of literacy. In some societies, the standards for what
constitute literacy are different from others. For example, some cultures believe that only people with
 Sakib 8

skills such as computers skills and basic numeracy may be considered literate. This takes into account
the fact that there are people who can add and subtract, but can't read letters as well as people who
can learn to use a computer to a limited extent but may still not be able to read text. One example is
Scotland, which defines literacy as: "The ability to read and write and use numeracy, to handle
information, to express ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, as family members,
workers, citizens and lifelong learners." That's probably as specific as you can get in defining what
literacy is all about. On a global level, analysts and policy makers consider illiteracy rates as an
important factor in a country's or a region's "human capital," and with good reason, as it turns out.
Based on numerous studies into this area, they conclude that literate people are easier and less
expensive to train and have broader job opportunities and access to higher education. In Kerala, India,
for example, female and child mortality rates declined dramatically in the 1960s, after girls who had
been schooled to literacy in the education reforms after 1948 began to raise families. There are recent
findings, however, that raise questions on correlations such as the one listed above, arguing that these
may have more to do with the effects of schooling rather than literacy in general. (Visit http://www.
http://thetriangle.org/opinion/south-asias-problems-are-not-for-westerners-to-simplify/)

Figure : 2.1 (Illiteracy can lead to early marriage.)

 Sakib 9

Illiteracy rates are highest among developing countries, especially those in the South Asian, Arab and
Sub-Saharan African regions where illiteracy is prevalent among 40 to 50% of populations. The East
Asian and Latin American regions also have relatively high illiteracy rates ranging from 10 to 15%.
In contrast, the illiteracy rate in developed countries is only a few percent. However, it is important
to note that illiteracy rates vary widely from country to country and often are directly proportionate
to a country's wealth or urbanization level, although many other factors play a determining role.

Relatively few studies have attempted to carefully measure the impact of child marriage on education.
The main difficulty is that the decision by a girl (or her parents) to marry early is likely to be itself a
function of the girls education potential. For example, girls with lower education prospects because
they may be weaker academically face smaller expected losses in future earnings and thereby have
lower incentives to continue to study as compared to girls who are academically stronger.

Table : 2.1 (Percentage of child marriage in different categories)

These girls may be more willing to marry early or their parents may be more inclined to have them
marry early. Similarly, independently of their academic abilities, girls less interested in pursuing their
education may also marry earlier and might have dropped out of school even in the absence of
marriage. Because education and marriage decisions are jointly made, it is technically difficult (i.e.,
using proper statistical or econometric methods) to assess the impact of child marriage on education
attainment. Two approaches have been used in the literature to try to estimate the impact of child
 Sakib 10

marriage on education. Table 2 provides a summary of a number of key studies in this area. The first
approach consists in relying on the reasons mentioned by parents in surveys for why their children
have dropped out of school. The share of drop-outs that appear to be due to child marriage or early
pregnancies can then be computed. Using data from the late 1990s for Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cte
dIvoire, Guinea, and Togo, Lloyd and Mensch (2008) find that for girls aged 15 to 24, child marriage
and pregnancies directly account for between 5% and 33% of dropouts, depending on the country.

Using similar data for Nigeria for 2006, Nguyen and Wodon (2012c) find that child marriage (and to
a much lower extent pregnancies) account for 15% to 20% of drop-outs, which is of the same order
of magnitude. In addition, Nguyen and Wodon (2012c) also show that if child marriage and early
pregnancies could be eliminated, this could potentially reduce the gender gap in education by about
half. The second (and better) approach relies on regression techniques with instrumental variables to
explain the decision to marry, but not education outcomes conditional on the decision to marry. Field
and Ambrus (2009) use variation in the timing of menarche (puberty) as the instrumental variable for
the age at first marriage, given that in many cultural and religious traditions, including in Bangladesh,
girls often are not allowed to marry before reaching puberty. They find that each additional year of
delay in the age of marriage increases schooling by 0.22 year and the likelihood of literacy of 5.6
percentage points. Nguyen and Wodon (2012d) use the contemporaneous and past incidence of child
marriage in the area where a girl lives as instruments, and also find that in Africa each year of early
marriage reduces the probability of literacy by 5.6 percentage points, and the probability of secondary
school completion by 6.5 points, with the impact on the probability of having at least some secondary
education being slightly larger. Finally, using data from India and considering a measure of the
fulfillment of the right to education recently adopted there, with 100 percent meaning that a girl has
achieved at least nine years of schooling, Nguyen and Wodon (2012d) find that each year of early
marriage reduces the fulfillment of the right to education measure by about 3.2 percentage points. It
is worth emphasizing that apart from the violation of human rights that child marriage often entails,
and apart from the negative impact of child marriage on health and the risk of disempowerment for
the girls who marry early, the fact that child marriage has a large impact on education attainment is
likely to make programs and policies to reduce child marriage cost effective for promoting growth
and poverty reduction. That is, given that the returns to secondary schooling tend to be large, the
positive economic impact of a reduction in child marriage on growth and poverty reduction through
education attainment is likely to be large. (Visit http://www. popcouncil.com)
 Sakib 11

2.3 Poverty
Poverty is one of the main drivers of child marriage. Child brides are more likely to be poor and to
remain poor. Where poverty is acute, giving a daughter in marriage allows parents to reduce family
expenses by ensuring they have one less person to feed, clothe and educate. In communities where
economic transactions are integral to the marriage process, a dowry or bride price is often welcome
income for poor families. Child marriage traps girls and their families in a cycle of poverty. Girls who
marry young do not receive the educational and economic opportunities that help lift them and their
families out of poverty and their children are more likely to undergo the same fate. Many believe that
having a husband is the best way to protect her from sexual violence, and that he will also provide for
her material needs. Sadly, all too often the opposite is true. Early marriage can be just the beginning
of a cycle that often includes early pregnancy and child birth, dropping-out of school, and complete
loss of her potential to thrive and lift herself and her family out of poverty.

Figure : 2.2 (A map showing the population living below national poverty line in the world)

This cycle is generational. If a mother is under 18, her own childs risk of dying in its first year of life
is some 60% higher than that of a child born to a mother aged 19 or older. And even if her own child
survives, these babies are more likely to suffer from low birth weight, under nutrition and late physical
and cognitive development. Poverty is associated with the undermining of a range of key human
attributes, including health. The poor are exposed to greater personal and environmental health risks,
 Sakib 12

are less well nourished, have less information and are less able to access health care; they thus have
a higher risk of illness and disability. Conversely, illness can reduce household savings, lower
learning ability, reduce productivity, and lead to a diminished quality of life, thereby perpetuating or
even increasing poverty. Poverty is often defined in absolute terms of low income less than US$2 a
day, for example. But in reality, the consequences of poverty exist on a relative scale. The poorest of
the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Within countries, the evidence shows that in general
the lower an individuals socioeconomic position the worse their health. There is a social gradient in
health that runs from top to bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. This is a global phenomenon,
seen in low, middle and high income countries. About 21,000 people die every day of hunger or
hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every four seconds, as you
can see on this display. Sadly, it is children who die most often. Yet there is plenty of food in the
world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the
money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become
weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even
poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families.
There are effective programs to break this spiral. For adults, there are food for work programs
where the adults are paid with food to build schools, dig wells, make roads, and so on. This both
nourishes them and builds infrastructure to end the poverty. For children, there are food for
education programs where the children are provided with food when they attend school. Their
education will help them to escape from hunger and global poverty. (Visit http://www.
wecare.com/marrying-at-early-age/)

Poor countries and families have few resources to support more healthy alternatives for girls, such as
schooling. In settings as diverse as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, India and Malaysia, families cite economic
reasons for marrying girls early.6 Poor families may see a daughter as an economic burden to be shed
through marriage as early as possible. Similarly, economic gains through the marriage of a daughter
may also motivate poor families. In Ethiopia, parents said that they married their young daughters for
economic reasons.7 In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, marrying girls is paired with exchanging
wealth between the brides and grooms familiesin the form of a dowry or a bride price. Such
practices can also give poor families an incentive to marry their daughters young. (Visit http://www.
care.com.bd)
 Sakib 13

2.4 Lack of Social Consciousness

Child marriage is now widely recognized as a violation of childrens rights, a direct form of
discrimination against the girl child who, as a result of the practice, is often deprived of her basic
rights to health, education, development, and equality. Tradition, religion, and poverty continue to
fuel the practice of child marriage, despite its strong association with adverse reproductive health
outcomes and the lack of education of girls. It is a huge responsibility for a young girl to become a
wife and mother and because girls are not adequately prepared for these roles this heavy burden has
a serious impact on their psychological welfare, their perceptions of themselves and also their
relationship. Most South Asian countries, with the exception of Afghanistan and Pakistan, have set
the national legal minimum age of marriage to 18 years old or above, often penalizing promotion and
involvement in child marriage.

Figure : 2.3 (Due to social lack of consciousness early marriage is rising)

However, the lack of legal consistency and the existence of dual legal systems undermine girls ability
to seek legal protection and remedy where child marriage exists. For instance, in Bangladesh girls as
young as 14 can be married off with parental consent. Religious and customary laws, which regulate
most marriages in South Asia, often set a lower minimum age of marriage than general laws. In South
Asia, early marriages, that is marriage below the age of 18 years is a widespread social evil, especially
in rural areas. For a girl, this is before she is mentally, physically and psychologically ready to handle
 Sakib 14

the responsibility of marriage and child bearing. It is something that has been passed down over
generations, with social practices and is claimed to be connected with religion and culture of those
who practice child marriages. (Visit http://www.newlife.com/marrying-at-earlymarriage-concept-
south-asia-saarc/)

Average Increase of Early Marriage Due to Social Consciousness in South Asia

Year 1990 2000 2005 2010 2015

Number in thousand 5.1 14.1 18.95 28.69 42.39

Table : 2.2 (Average increase of early marriage due to social consciousness in south asia)

There are minor punishments for violations of laws on child marriage in several South Asian
countries,142 reflecting the weak stance governments take toward child marriage. In Bangladesh, for
example, the punishment for contracting, performing, or failing to prevent a child marriage is only a
maximum fine of BDT 1,000 (approximately USD 13), one month in prison, or both.143 Further,
courts may also have wide discretionary power, allowing for the issuance of light punishments, even
below statutory minimums. For example, in Nepal, the Supreme Court only issued a three day
sentence and a fine of NPR 25 (approximately USD 0.25) to the father of a 13-year-old girl who
confessed to entering her into a child marriage.144 This sentence was even lighter than the minimum
penalty of three months imprisonment established in the law.145 Further, legal prohibitions on child
marriage are only as strong as their enforcement at the local level. Prosecution for child marriage
remains low in the region, even where the practice is illegal, indicating impunity for the practice.146
The failure to appoint designated officials mandated to investigate and intervene in child marriage
cases147 and ensure their awareness that child marriage is illegal and harmful to girls also constitutes
a barrier to enforcement of child marriage laws.148 In the region, child marriage is often considered
a personal or family issue, leading law enforcement officers to refrain from intervening as mandated
under the law.149 Ensuring accountability for child marriage requires that officers tasked with
enforcing legal prohibitions on the practice must have adequate training about the harms of child
marriage and support to respond to community opposition and protection against retaliation. For
example, in Nepal and Sri Lanka, although registration of marriages involving children is prohibited,
 Sakib 15

registrars report facing immense social pressure to falsely register such marriages in violation of the
law.150 Similarly, in India, activists seeking to enforce child marriage laws have faced violent
retaliation.151 The failure of governments to ensure that frontline defenders of girls rights to be free
from child marriage are adequately prepared and supported contributes significantly to the practice
of child marriage. The major cause of early marriage is poverty that leads to many social twigs.
Mainly in South Asia the economic tribulations in families lead to early marriages. Lack of economic
opportunities for girls in rural areas forces them to marry at an early age. For example, dowry is a
common concept in Bangladesh. When a girl marries, she has to give money to the groom as is the
thought that she would be thriving on the grooms resources for the rest of her life. As Bangladesh is
one of the poorest countries in South Asia, most people who in rural areas, force their daughters to
marry at an early age as a solution to economic problems. (Visit http://www. bookbone.com)

2.6 Local Customs

Child marriage is recognized under human rights law as form of gender-based violence. Freedom
from gender-based violence is a human right. Often marriage arrangements are made between
families for dynastic, business, property or conflict resolutions. In Pakistan, India and Nepal, children
may be betrothed or even married while toddlers or well below the age of 10. This custom is a means
of consolidating powerful relations between families, making deals over land or other property, or
settling disputes in the way routinely conducted between royal houses and aristocratic families
throughout history. It may be a way of maintaining or fostering business ties with them. It may also
be arranged as apart of the deal to settle a feud between two families.

Figure : 2.4 (A survey on early marriage in south asia)

The CEDAW Committee defines gender-based violence as violence directed against a woman
because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately and includes acts that inflict
 Sakib 16

physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, Community leaders and government
officers felt that there has been positive change in the situation regarding child marriage, and that
there are fewer child marriages.

Early Marriage Due to Local Customs (in thousands) (2000-2015)

Bangladesh India Nepal Bhutan Pakistan Maldives Afghanistan

78.96 749.68 26.75 12.34 98.54 26.77 231.54

Table : 2.3 (A table showing data about early marriage due to local custom)

They credited the work of the government and NGOs in increasing awareness about the issue to the
locality. Sometimes, such situations persist until the girls become isolated with different sexual
diseases, mental and physical weaknesses. In many South Asian countries, there are also a number of
contradictions with age restrictions related to sex, age of consent and the criminalization of marital
rape. Women who marry early are more likely to suffer abuse and violence, with inevitable
psychological as well as physical consequences. Studies indicate that women who marry at young
ages are more likely to believe that it is sometimes acceptable for a husband to beat his wife, and are
therefore more likely to experience domestic violence themselves. Violent behavior can take the form
of physical harm, psychological attacks, threatening behavior and forced sexual acts including rape.
Abuse is sometimes perpetrated by the husbands family as well as the husband himself, and girls that
enter families as a bride often become domestic slaves for the in-laws. They also mentioned the
availability of education, which makes it easier for girls to stay in school longer. Some also mentioned
the need to eradicate poverty as a means of eliminating child marriage. However, they felt that there
was a need for greater awareness about the negative consequences of child marriage and better
implementation of legislation. They also mentioned the need for cooperation between the government
and NGOs and the critical role of parents and families. (Visit http://www.newlife.com/marrying-at-
earlymarriage-concept-south-asia-saarc/)
 Sakib 17

2.7 Summing Up
An early marriage, is an issue where argued by many now a days. Some people are advocated for
early marriage because it is healthy. Until the late 20th century, teen marriage was very common and
instrumental in securing a family, continuing a blood lineage and producing offspring for labor. Many
factors contribute to teen marriage such as teen pregnancy, religion, security, family and peer
pressure, arranged marriage, economic and political reasons, social advancement, and cultural
reasons. Studies have shown that teenage married couples are often less advantageous, may come
from broken homes, may have little education and work low status jobs in comparison to those that
marry after adolescence. Early marriage arises from number of causes like lack of education, gender
bios, pressure from family or friends, and lack of knowledge about the implications of early marriage.
Early marriage also has several negative effects. It can lead to psychological and emotional stress not
only to both parties but also to their children. It can also lead to health problem to girls because as
their body is too young to conceive.
 Sakib 19

deaths are 50% higher in mothers younger than 20 years than in women who give birth later. There
is little doubt that reducing child marriage will help to ensure more children survive into adulthood.
Child marriage is predominantly practiced in the rural and poor communities where young girls are
regarded as economic burden and quickly married off to alleviate household expenses.

Figure : 3.1 (An early marriage can lead to unnatural death.)

Oftentimes, in these communities, educational and economic opportunities available to girls are few
and they are often married off quickly to protect them and the economic wellbeing of the family. The
continuing economic hardship in many developing countries is encouraging a rise in early and child-
marriage, even among populations that do not normally practice it, as child marriage is often regarded
as a family-building strategy, an economic strategy and the resulting transaction important for the
financial and social survival of the child and her family. Where poverty is acute, also, parents may
regard young girls as economic burden and their marriage to much older rich men becomes very
attractive and beneficial to the girl and her family.

A daughter may be treated as a commodity that the family has to be traded and sometimes girls are
used as currency to settle debts or stabilize relationships between families. World Health Organization
(2006) revealed that the risk of death following pregnancy is twice as high for women between 15
and 19 years than those between the ages 20 and 24years. The mortality rate can be up to five times
 Sakib 21

impossible for her to negotiate safe sex. The very young wives often lack adequate information on
critical sexual relations, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and childbirth.

3.3 Birth of Premature Child

Of the 15.1 million babies born too soon every year, some one million die due to prematurity,
accounting for one-third of the worlds 2.9 million newborn deaths, a huge impact for families,
societies and economies in both high and low-income countries. Newborn conditions, especially
premature birth, are responsible for almost 10% of the global burden of disease for all ages and all
countries.

Figure : 3.2 (An premature birth)

In the last three years, some 15 billion (US$25 billion) in new funds have been spent on maternal,
newborn and child health, according to a 2013 report by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn &
Child Health (PMNCH). Low- and middle-income countries, as well as private foundations, non-
government organizations, and the private sector have raised about 40% of this. However, as
highlighted by a recent analyses led by Catherine Pitt, also from The School, less than 1% is
specifically directed at premature or newborn care.
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Improving prematurity prevention and care is a key part of a wider drive to reduce newborn deaths
and improve quality care at the time of birth, when risks are highest for both women and their babies.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, whose Every Woman Every Child movement has provided
major worldwide impetus for women and children, said: Three quarters of the one million babies
who die each year from complications associated with prematurity could have been saved with cost-
effective interventions, even without intensive care facilities. World Prematurity Day is an
opportunity to mobilise partners to improve the care available to all women and children.

More than 50 partners including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, convened by
UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), are developing a major new global plan to
improve newborn health. The plan will focus on improving the quality of care for women and children
during labor and delivery, as well as the critical few days before and after birth, when risks are highest.

The solution According to the WHO, more than three-quarters of premature babies can be saved with
feasible, cost-effective care, e.g. essential care during child birth and in the postnatal period for every
mother and baby, antenatal steroid injections (given to pregnant women at risk of preterm labor and
meeting set criteria to strengthen the babies' lungs), kangaroo mother care (the baby is carried by the
mother with skin-to-skin contact and frequent breastfeeding) and antibiotics to treat newborn
infections.To reduce preterm birth rates, women should have better access to family planning and
increased empowerment, as well as improved care before, between and during pregnancies. But there
are some conditions beyond women including from an abnormal fetus which is naturally expelled.
(Visit http://www.babyhealth.com)

The big case of premature birth is infection in the uterus that leads to expulsion of the fetus. That is
why you need to have good hygiene to protect you from bacterial infection. About 25-45 percent of
Uterine Transmitted Infections, suffered by pregnant women in Africa is due to cross infections or
linked to periodontal infection. Membrane breaks, and starts leaking the waters, then it is better to
take out the baby.
(Visit
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2013/preterm_birth_risk.html#sthash.jlU2PQdF.dpuf).
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Figure : 3.3 (A family suffering from population problem due to early marriage)

This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to
reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing
urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for
generations to come. UNFPA helps countries identify and understand such trends, which are critical
to development. UNFPA is one of the worlds largest funders of population data collection. UNFPA
also advises countries that the best way to ensure sustainable development is to deliver a world where
every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

Trends in population growth vary by sub region. Population growth rates have been decreasing in
almost all sub regions since 2000. The decline has been slightly faster in South-East Asia and in South
and South-West Asia. The rates have also fallen in East and North-East Asia since 2000; although
they have remained relatively constant since 2003. The lowest figure in the Asia-Pacific region is that
of North and Central Asia, a subregion where the population growth rate dropped to an average of -
0.1% between 1990 and 2000, but subsequently rose to 0.3% in 2010. This huge population in the
Asia-Pacific poses a tremendous environmental challenge, and an increase in the population and
human activities in the region will place an even greater pressure on the regions already strained
natural resources. The ecological problems that might arise from that pressure include water scarcity,
biodiversity loss, water and air pollution, global warming, and climate change.

On the issue of climate change, the Asia-Pacific is not only home to three of the six worlds largest
greenhouse gas emitters, it is also among the regions most vulnerable to climate change.
 Sakib 26

converse with others, girls are left in isolation with little or no means of receiving information on
reproductive health issues. They are often powerless to access health care services, as they may need
permission to receive such services; if refused, they are typically unable to pay for health care
services. Without health information or social services, married girls are unable to seek support. Their
problems remain unknown or ignored by the community, and they becomes invisible victims.
Changing social and gender norms is never easy. Families and communities, including boys and men,
need to understand the risks associated with child marriage and become engaged in the process of
making change. Powerless and isolated, married girls are in need of our support. Providing
opportunities for girls to continue their education or earn money, while expanding their skills and
available choices in life, is one effective strategy to delay marriage. In Bangladesh, the
implementation of a secondary school scholarship program for girls resulted in a declined rate of early
marriage. The expansion of schooling and provision of job training helps to increase the autonomy
and freedom of girls.

Figure : 3.4 (Threat to civilization)

Although laws forbidding early marriage exist in most countries, much effort is still needed to ensure
enforcement of such laws. Further work needs to be done to reduce the barriers young women face in
seeking out health services and information outside their marital households, including access to
family planning programs. Youth programs are effective in educating and empowering young women
(as well as young men) about reproductive health and rights. Such programs should be encouraged
and available not only in schools, but in communities and rural areas as well. Public education and
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3.6 Increase of the Number of Divorce Cases

South Asia is characterized by a wide diversity of patterns in both marital formation and marital
dissolution. Though there has been some research on recent changes in marriage patterns, marital
dissolution in the Asian context has not received much critical attention. Changes in divorce rates
have been linked to ideational changes, increasing education and changing labor force participation
of women, changing nature of spouse selection, changes in age at marriage, extent of social support
for divorced women, changes in religious and civil laws regulating divorce and changes in life
expectancy. To a varying extent, many of these changes have been occurring in most of Asia and their
influence on marital dissolution needs to be examined. Divorce is hurting American children very
badly. Each year over a million children suffer the divorce of their parents and by 1999, half of all
American children reaching their eighteenth birthday and who were born to married parents will have
experienced the divorce of their parents.

Figure : 3.5 (A imaginary divorce figure of men and women due to early marriage)

The reversal of the legal status of divorce will entail nothing less than a cultural revolution because
American culture now embraces divorce in law and in behavior. Its easy acceptance --- once rejected
as scandalous. Even if they themselves have divorced the men and women who shape popular
 Sakib 30

opinion, as well as the policymakers in state legislatures who are responsible for domestic law should
begin to challenge this practice.

The devastating effects of divorce on children just might provide these leaders with the motivation to
start such a cultural revolution, or at least to question the direction the nation has taken. The plight
of children may give Americans the moral courage to overcome a fear of raising this delicate subject.
If Americans do not overcome this fear, we will lock ourselves into inaction and lock the nation into
a downward spiral of weakening effects and diminishing social capital because divorce diminishes
childrens future competence in all the major institutions.

Not only do parents divorce each other, a divorce or mini divorce happens between them and their
children. The primary effect of divorce (and of the conflict that leads to divorce) is a decline of the
relationship between parent and child. Divorced mothers, despite their best intentions, are less able
than married mothers are to give the same level of emotional support to their children. Divorced
fathers are less than likely to have a close relationship with their children, and the younger the children
are at the time of the divorce, and when the father is denied legal custody of the children he is more
likely to drift away.Also, divorced and remarried fathers tend to become more involved with the
children of their subsequent marriage. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the National Survey of
Families and Households found that about one in five divorced fathers had not seen their children in
the past year, and less than half the fathers saw their children more than a few times a year.By
adolescence (between the ages of twelve to sixteen) less than half of those children living with
separated, divorced, or remarried mothers had seen their fathers at all in more than a year, and only
one in six saw their fathers as often as once a week. Finally paternal grandparents frequently cease to
see their grandchildren as their grandchildrens contact with their own father, the grandparents son,
diminishes. (Visit http://www.increasingproblem.com)

3.7 Summing Up
Each year, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18. That is 28 girls every minute married
off too soon, endangering their personal development and wellbeing. With more young people on our
planet than ever before, child marriage is a human rights violation that we must end to achieve a fairer
future for all. Child brides are often disempowered, dependent on their husbands and deprived of their
fundamental rights to health, education and safety. Neither physically nor emotionally ready to
become wives and mothers, child brides are at greater risk of experiencing dangerous complications
 Sakib 31

in pregnancy and childbirth, becoming infected with HIV/AIDS and suffering domestic violence.
With little access to education and economic opportunities, they and their families are more likely to
live in poverty. Nations also feel the impact: a system that undervalues the contribution of young
women limits its own possibilities. In this way, child marriage drains countries of the innovation and
potential that would enable them to thrive. Early marriage is one of the key issues affecting female
children between the ages of 9-17. These occur mostly in the northern part of Nigeria where they
believe a childs first menstrual period should be in the husbands house. In some cases, these girls
are even given out before they were born to a man old enough to be their father. Could this be poverty
or should I say culture? Some cultural practices have led us astray, causing harm to young people
who are being fed with these lies. Making the girl child see herself like a baby making factory but
funny enough they are still born into abject poverty.