Why are young girls rushing into matrimony?

As such, Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in observing the day  amid revelations by the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS 2010-11) Report that about 61 percent of young women are married at the age of 20-24 compared to 25 percent of young men of the same age.

 

The question to be interrogated by all Zimbabweans is: What causes this disparity?

Child marriage has been a challenge for the country just like in many other developing countries for a long time and in most instances it is common in communities where culture encourages such a practice and among some religious groups where young girls are given away to men way older than them in polygamous marriages.

In coming up with the day, the UN seeks to influence change in the lives of girls and young women as citizens and as powerful voices of change in their families, communities and nations.

The inaugural International Day of the Girl Child is important to all member countries for ensuring equal opportunities for girls.

According to the UN, girls worldwide face higher rate of violence, poverty, discrimination, depression, sexual harassment and dating violence than boys.

The day which will now be on the UN calendar in ensuing years will promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls around the world in areas such as law, nutrition, health care, education, training and freedom from violence and abuse.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his message for the commemoration, called for an end to child marriages and stressing education as one of the best strategies for protecting girls against this “harmful practice.”

It is harmful in the sense that a number of girls drop out of school because they would have fallen pregnant or because they would have been forced by way of the community set up to revoke school and start a family, mostly with older men.

He said:  “When allowed to stay in school and avoid being married early, girls can build a foundation for a better life for themselves and their families. Let us do our part and let girls be girls, not brides.”

In a recent interview, the Education Director for Matabeleland North Province Mrs Boitathelo Mnguni said they had in the past recorded cases of girls dropping out of school because they would have fallen pregnant and in most cases would not continue with their education because their new husbands would not consent to that.

An estimated 70 million, which is one in every three young women between the ages of 20 to 24 years today, were married before the age of 15 and 18, according to the UN.

Countries like Zambia, our northern neighbours is one of the countries with the highest number of child marriages and the UN now encourages individual countries and all stakeholders to promote rights of the girl child.

Governments, communities, religious groups like churches and religious leaders, civic society, private sector and the family institution, especially men and the boy child all have a duty to ensure that rights of girls are upheld and promoted. Child marriage denies the girl child her childhood, disrupts and limits her education, limits opportunities, increases risk of being victim of violence and abuse and jeopardises her health.

Education is the gateway to everything in life. Educating a girl child and supporting her basic human rights is key to a healthy community. Improving girls’ lives has a ripple  effect to the nation and most importantly, what is good for the girl child is good for the whole nation because of the duty they perform to any nation.

Analysts have noted that girls with low level education are more likely to be married early. They said those girls with secondary education were twice unlikely to marry early, thereby making education the most effective way of combating child marriage.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in its recent report on the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child noted that if current trends are allowed to continue, the number of girl children married early would increase dramatically in the next 10 years especially in developing countries.

The UNFPA has called on governments to enforce national laws that raise the age of marriage to 18 years in both girls and boys.

The world body has pledged about $20 million to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health over five years in most marginalised adolescent girls in those countries with high rates of child marriage.

Zimbabwe unlike other developing countries is at a better stage because of literacy rates and the countries’ commitment to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially goals one to six which directly involve children, but, a lot needs to be done to reduce the 61 percent of girls getting married early.

A Unicef report: “Experience in a number of countries shows how combining legal measures with support to communities, providing viable alternatives especially schooling and enabling communities to discuss has helped reach the explicit decisions to end child marriage.”

But what are some of the risks associated with early marriage?

Child marriage results in early, unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening risks for girls. About 90 percent of abortions by adolescents between 15 and 19 years are reportedly occurring in married young girls. Pregnancy-related complications is one of the leading causes of death to girls in the adolescent age group and if not harnessed would derail the countries efforts in meeting MDGs.

There has been heated debate in social networking sites where some feel the major risk is HIV and Aids and several other reproductive tract infections. These are some of the views people posted to me.

Most young women marry early and in many cases to older people who have a long sexual history, which is risky.

Some said marriage has for some time been the ultimate goal for many young girls which together with lack of basic life skills means that girls take it as an alternative means of survival.

Some marry at a tender age because they believe no man would look at them once they are in their late 20s and therefore lose confidence in themselves, as they grow older.

To some, early marriage is driven by the biological fact that girls mature earlier than boys.

Suggestions coming in are that the Government should come up with policies that include self-help options and projects for empowerment.

Some suggested that parents should be educated on the rights of the girl child for them to appreciate the situation.