Analysis of Child Marriage

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Analysis of Child Marriage

Although the definition of child marriage includes boys, it is mostly focused on girls married off by their families, before their eighteenth birthdays. It is prevalent mostly in impoverished Southern Asian and African countries. These marriages are sometimes planned as soon as the girl is born, or oftentimes the men who marry young girls – as old as eight or nine – with an offer of large monetary compensations known as bride price. According to reports by UNICEF, in Yemen, the average age of marriage is twelve or thirteen with the highest neo-natal and mortality rates. Despite the international outcry to countries where it is practiced, there has been little to no response on the issue. This paper focuses on the causes, effects, and possible solutions to child marriages.
The four main causes of child marriage are poverty, limited education and economic opportunities relating to jobs for women, insecurity in the face of conflict, and traditional and religious practices. The little girls are sources of income for their families when the bride price is of...

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