Child Marriage: Ethiopia and Malawi
Globally, one in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching the age of 18. Child marriage poses a significant threat to women and girls’ health and livelihood. Often when a girl is married before 18, her social and emotional development, health, and educational opportunities suffer. Studies have also shown that child marriage often results in higher instances of intimate partner violence [1]. Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability and developmental change. Before the age of 15, girls are not physically and cognitively prepared to make decisions about marriage and sexual relations. Children who are married before 18 report more unintended pregnancies, experience obstetric complications, maternal deaths and have preterm or low weight births [2].
In patriarchal societies, gender norms pertaining to child marriage can reinforce local systems of male dominance. According to theories of classic patriarchy, women are socially “expected to marry young, to exchange obedience for men’s protection, and to respect men’s authority to punish disobedience”[3]. In societies such as India, Nepal, and Pakistan, where rates of child marriage are high, intimate partner violence is also reported at higher rates than those individuals who were married after 18 [4].
Despite the widespread nature of the issue, positive measures have been taken in various regions globally. In June 2015, Senior Chief Inkosi Kachindamoto annulled 330 youth marriages in Dedza, the central district of Malawi. This measure affected 175 girl wives and 155 boy fathers. It was part of a widespread effort to encourage former spouses to return to school. According to the UN Population Fund, Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with 1 in every 2 Malawi girls being married before the age of 18. Only 45% of girls stayed in school past the 8th grade. Inhibiting education makes it difficult for girls to earn a living, frequently leaving them vulnerable to gender based violence. In February 2015, Malawi’s Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act was passed, raising the minimum age of marriage without parental consent to 18.
In Ethiopia, where 41% of girls are married off by the age of 18, a joint UNFPA-UNICEF programme is empowering vulnerable adolescent girls and boys to support themselves, by providing them with important skills and education. In Ethiopia, 16 year old Salia was waiting to be married off after she had failed the national exam when the opportunity to enroll in the programme materialized. She became one of four girls in her community to learn the business of animal husbandry. She now describes herself as “self-sufficient” [5].
Child marriage is a complex and multifaceted global issue which requires a grassroots approach through engagement with a variety of stakeholders. Empowering women and girls and providing them with the incentives to stay in school and progress to higher education is likely to have a positive impact on their independence and development. By delaying marriage until adulthood, girls can continue their education, contribute to market practices, develop social networks outside of their families, and attain economic assets which benefit their larger community [6]. Providing support to NGO’s and funding to grassroots local organizations dedicated to dealing with this widespread issue is something we can all do. The list of the following organizations are dedicated to breaking the cycle of child marriage.
- Girls Not Brides
- Breakthrough
- CARE
- Egyptian Foundation for the Advancement of the Childhood Condition
- Girls Up
- Humanium: Help the Children
- ICRW — USA
- Saarthi Trust — India
- Save the Children
- The Coexist Initiative — India
- The Knowledge Hub on Child Marriage
References
[1] Yount, Kathryn, M. Crandall, AliceAnn Cheong, Yuk Osypuk, Fai Bates, Theresa Naved, and L. Schuler. “Child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Bangladesh: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis.” Demography 53, no. 6 (2016): 1821–852.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
