What Is Child Marriage?
Child marriage is a marriage or domestic partnership between a child, usually under 18, and an adult or another child. Most child marriages are between a young girl and a man or older boy. Most countries permit people to be married at 18, but this can vary depending on the country, meaning that the marriageable age can be younger or older. In some countries where the age is set at 18 years, parental consent can be given to allow an earlier marriage.
Child marriage violates multiple human rights and can have long-term consequences on the victims. A few of the consequences for girls are a lack of education or career opportunities, mental health issues, teen pregnancy, and childbirth. Sadly, there has been little to no research done on the male victims of child marriage. Although, one can assume that being ill-prepared for fatherhood and lacking an education and career opportunities are common.
How Many Children Are Affected By Child Marriage?
According to UNICEF and the government of Canada, it is estimated that worldwide, 115 million boys and men were married as children. While 650 million women and girls were married as children. I found that it was significantly harder to find articles that were written about child grooms. While child grooms are less numerous than child brides, they both violate human rights. Further research needs to be done on the effects of child marriage on boys.
What Actions Have Been Taken To Prevent This?
Many foreign programs focus on preventing child marriage. In Canada, we are working towards ending child marriage by raising awareness and educating others. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development plans on working towards this goal by investing in projects that prevent the practice and supporting girls and women who were child brides.
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