Child/Forced

Marriages
by: Victoria Gittinger
The presence of child/forced
marriages in todays society is both
alarming and concerning as
child/forced marriages have been
known to produce abuse and the
dehumanization of women.

As what will be shown,

the happiness of
women/children forced
into marriage is hard to
come by, and is most
often dismissed by their
husbands at their wive's
expense.
 The Extent of the
Problem
Statistics provided by Macleans Its
Time to Change the Story About
Child Marriage, show that Each and
every year, child marriage cuts
short the childhoods of another 15
million girls nearly 2 million of who
wont even have
reached their 15th birthday and
increases their risk of physical and
sexual abuse at the hands of
husbands sometimes twice their
age,(Maclean para. 1).

The abuse often goes unpunished by

the government and is even sometimes
encouraged as a way to "keep your wife
obedient and in line."
 Its Causes
Literacy statistics taken in poorer
countries show that, 37.9% of urban
women and 69% of rural women remain
illiterate. Compared to illiteracy
levels of 18.4 and 41.6% for urban and
rural men, respectively, it can be seen
that the
discrepancy between women and men
remains large,(Sabbe, 136). This is not
the only discrepancy, as Figures
released by the Ministry of Justice for the
year 2010 reveal that 41,098 child
marriages were authorized,(Sabbe, 136)
where previously a law had been enacted
raising the minimum marital age to 18.
 Its Effects

The lack of concern in the

government thus dooms the
women in the marriages to suffer
quietly at their husbands hands,
just because they deem it so. This
also unconsciously promotes
families in poverty to give away
their daughters to wealthy men in
order to receive a bride price to
stay afloat.
 Potential Solutions
As stated by Women's International
Network News, Poverty disempowers
females by reducing their access to
education and ultimately to a means of
survival. . .,(para. 2). Although most of
my research did not provide potential
solutions, I believe that higher
education and financial support could
help limit the amount of child/forced
marriages and abuse in 2nd and 3rd
world countries.

The suffering of women in child/forced

marriages is something we cant ignore.
The abuse and trauma that occur
because of loose morals is only
encouraged the longer this practice goes
unpunished.
These illegal marriages stem mostly from
poverty stricken families using the bride
price from these marriages as a way to
survive and make quick cash. But with the
support of a good education, these
women now have a chance to better
themselves and their society. We must
make an effort to support these women by
offering higher education and financial
support in their community and around the
world.
 MLA

Africa: Forced Marriage of Young

Girls Destroys Their Lives." Women's
International Network News, vol. 25,
no. 3, Summer99, p. 56. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2132356&si
te=ehost-live.
"It's Time to Change the Story about
Child Marriage." Maclean's, vol. 130,
no. 3, Apr. 2017, p. 61. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=121560250
&site=ehost-live.
Kopelman, Loretta M. "The Forced
Marriage of Minors: A Neglected
Form of Child Abuse." Journal of Law,
Medicine & Ethics, vol. 44, no. 1,
Spring2016, pp. 173-181.
EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1177/1073110516644208
Sabbe, Alexia, et al. "Womens
Perspectives on Marriage and Rights
in Morocco: Risk Factors for Forced
and Early Marriage in the Marrakech
Region." Culture, Health & Sexuality,
vol. 17, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 135-
149. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.964773.