A Child Abuse: Marriage at Childhood Age

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Abstract

Child marriage, which is seen as both a global public health and social problem, is defined as marriage before the age of 18 years. Gender inequality, migration and wars, economic problems, lack of education, and non-deterrent laws are the main causes of child marriage. Child marriage in our country, and other places where child marriage is still commonplace, is a breach of the widely recognized human rights of the child. Prevention of this breach requires effective and target-oriented counter-measures. At the same time, to achieve sustainable change, problems should be analyzed and solutions should be provided with programmed and multi-layered components. It should not be forgotten that “the child is not a bride, the place for the child is in school and the playground.”

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Association between child marriage and reproductive health outcomes and service utilization: a multi-country study from South Asia.

Deepali Godha, D Hotchkiss, Gregory Gage (2013)

Despite the pervasiveness of child marriage and its potentially adverse consequences on reproductive health outcomes, there is relatively little empirical evidence available on this issue, which has hindered efforts to improve the targeting of adolescent health programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of child marriage with fertility, fertility control, and maternal health care use outcomes in four South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. Data for the study come from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in the study countries; we used a subsample of women aged 20-24 years. Child marriage, defined as first marriage before 18 years of age, is categorized into two groups: first married at ages 15-17 years and first married at age ≤14 years. We used multivariate logistic regression models. The results of the study suggest that child marriage is significantly associated with a history of rapid repeat childbirth, current modern contraceptive use, female sterilization, not using contraception before first childbirth, pregnancy termination, unintended pregnancy, and inadequate use of maternal health services, although the associations are not always consistent across countries. Furthermore, women who married in early adolescence or childhood show a higher propensity toward most of the negative outcomes, compared with women who married in middle adolescence. Child marriage adds a layer of vulnerability to women that leads to poor fertility control and fertility-related outcomes, and low maternal health care use. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Girl child marriage and its association with national rates of HIV, maternal health, and infant mortality across 97 countries.

Anita Raj, Ulrike Boehmer (2013)

This study was designed to assess associations between national rates of girl child marriage and national rates of HIV and maternal and child health (MCH) concerns, using national indicator data from 2009 United Nations reports. Current analyses were limited to the N = 97 nations (of 188 nations) for which girl child marriage data were available. Regression analyses adjusted for development and world region demonstrate that nations with higher rates of girl child marriage are significantly more likely to contend with higher rates of maternal and infant mortality and nonutilization of maternal health services, but not HIV.

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A qualitative study exploring child marriage practices among Syrian conflict-affected populations in Lebanon

Rima Mourtada, Jennifer Schlecht, Jocelyn DeJong (2017)

Background Recent reports have suggested that child marriage among Syrians may be increasing as a result of displacement and conflict. This study sought to gather qualitative data about the factors that promote child marriage practices among Syrian refugees in Al Marj area in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon, where the majority of Syrian refugees have settled in Lebanon. The second aim of this study was to generate recommendations on how to mitigate the drivers and consequences of child marriage practices based on the findings. Methods Eight focus group discussions were conducted separately with married and unmarried young women and mothers and fathers of married and unmarried women. Furthermore, researchers conducted 11 key informant interviews with service providers and stakeholders to understand how conflict and displacement influenced marriage practices of Syrian refugees in Al Marj community. Results Although child marriage was a common practice in pre-conflict Syria, new factors seem to contribute to a higher risk of child marriage among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Respondents cited conflict- and displacement-related safety issues and feeling of insecurity, the worsening of economic conditions, and disrupted education for adolescent women as driving factors. Service providers, young women, and parents also reported changes in some marriage practices, including a shorter engagement period, lower bride price, change in cousin marriage practices, and a reduced age at marriage. Conclusions Recommendations for interventions to mitigate the drivers of child marriage and its negative consequences should be built on a clear understanding of the local refugee context and the drivers of child marriage in refugee settings. Interventions should involve multiple stakeholders, they should be adjusted to target each specific context, age group and marital status. For these interventions to be effective, they should be addressed concurrently, and they should be delivered in a culturally sensitive and practical manner.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Turk Arch Pediatr

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Turk Arch Pediatr

Title: Turkish Archives of Pediatrics

Publisher: Turkish Pediatrics Association

ISSN (Electronic): 2757-6256

Publication date Collection: November 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 01 November 2021

Volume: 56

Issue: 6

Pages: 548-552

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Pediatric Basic Sciences , Istanbul University, Institute of Child Health, Adolesance Health, Istanbul, Turkey

[2 ]Department of Pediatrics , University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Prof.Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

[3 ]Pediatric infectious Disease , Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

Author notes

Corresponding author:Hüseyin Dağ✉ huseyindag2003@ 123456gmail.com

Cite this article as: Dağ H, Yetim A, Ketenci Altıkardeşler Ö, Hançerli Törün S. A child abuse: Marriage at childhood age. Turk Arch Pediatr. 2021; 56(6): 548-552.