Early Child Marriage Research Articles

Impact of Child Marriage on the Girl-Child in Relation to Target 5 (3) of The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals

Child marriage is a societal quagmire that has been on the front burner at various public discourses in Nigeria for some time. Despite the fact that child marriage and betrothal are prohibited by National legislation, the socio-cultural practice and religious backing of the issue in some sections of Nigeria make it a necessary evil which continues to stare us in the face. This societal ill persists despite local and international attempts (Sustainable Development Goals and Millennium Development Goals) at curbing this menace aimed at the girl child. Early child marriage grossly and negatively affects the education process of the young girl and the economic wellbeing, advancement and development of any country where child marriages are being practised. This paper looks at the impact of early child marriages on the girl child and how this phenomenon grossly affects the girl child while making recommendations to assuage the situation.

Individual and Community-level factors associated with early marriage in Zambia: a mixed effect analysis

BackgroundChild marriage has long been a public health concern around the world, because it has the potential to deprive adolescent girls of their sexual reproductive health rights and limits their ability to reach their full potential in life. The prevalence of child marriage has been consistently higher in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere. However, fewer studies have explored the influence of both individual and community-level influences on early marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, therefore, examined individual and community-level factors associated with child marriages in Zambia.MethodsData came from the Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) conducted in 2007, 2013–14 and 2018. A pooled weighted sample of 9990 women aged 20–29 years was used in the analysis. Stata software version 17 was used to perform statistical analysis, taking into account complex survey design. The association between individual- and community- level factors and early marital behavior was assessed using multilevel logistic regression models.ResultsThe prevalence of child marriage among women aged 20–29 was 44.4 percent (95% CI: 42.1, 46.7) in 2018, declining from 51.5 percent (95% CI: 48.9, 54.0) in 2007. Women with secondary or higher level of education [aOR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.26–0.49] and [aOR = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.03–0.18] and those whose age at first birth was (15–19 year) or (20–29 years) were associated with less likelihood of experiencing child marriage. Communities with a high percentage of women who gave birth at a young age [aOR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.15–1.62] were more likely to experience child marriage. Individual and community-level characteristics accounted for 35% of the overall variations in communities' likelihood of experiencing early marriage. Even after controlling for both individual and community-level influences, the intra-class correlation revealed that around 4.5 percent of the overall variations remained unexplained.ConclusionPrevalence of child marriage has reduced over the years but is still high in Zambia. Both individual and community- level factors influenced child marriage in Zambia. There is a need to strengthen strategies that keep girls in school to delay their exposure to early sexual debut and child marriage. Designing of reproductive health interventions in the country should consider integration of community factors such as economic insecurity and access to reproductive health information.

Experiencing the Impacts of Climate Change-Induced Salinity by Women in Coastal Region of Bangladesh

This paper aims to understand the impact of salinity on women in coastal areas of Bangladesh. While there is ample information on the impact of climate change on coastal areas in Bangladesh, the literature shows that there is hardly any information on the impact of climate-induced salinity on women. This study is an attempt to fill this gap. An in-depth interview method was applied to collect primary data from a salinity prone coastal region in Satkhira District of Bangladesh. The study shows that salinity affects the women and girls in many ways. The impacts of salinity on women include the unattractiveness of women and girls due to the loss of hair and skin color, the increased burden of work due to water collection far from homes, unable to attend school by girls, the sufferings of women from various diseases, health and hygiene problem, and early child marriage. The consequences of the impacts of salinity on women lead to domestic violence, increased rate of divorce, increased number of female-headed households, and increased poverty due to limited sources of livelihoods. Overall, the adverse impacts of salinity on women make them more vulnerable socially and financially. The policy implications of this study may include the increased awareness of males about the impacts of salinity on women, appropriate institutional arrangements by the government including the adoption of policies and plans incorporating the issues faced by the women due to increasing salinity. It is expected that this study will not only be useful to policymakers in Bangladesh but also to other countries with similar contexts.

Environmental chemical risk factors of breast cancer in Nigeria II: Adolescent hormonal contraceptives use

Globocan’s 2018 cancer statistics show increasing rates of breast cancer in Nigeria. There is sufficient evidence in humans that hormonal contraceptive is a breast cancer risk factor particularly among African American women who begin use before 20 years of age or before first pregnancy. Nigerian breast cancer patients have identical subtypes as African Americans i.e triple negative tumors, early age of onset, clinically aggressive, and poor prognosis. Data from Nigeria show that 37.4% adolescent girls engage in high-risk sexual behaviour. For adolescent girls, dual use of condom and other hormonal contraceptives have been recommended to prevent pregnancy and acquisition of STI/HIV. Adolescents in Nigeria have uncensored access to all the contraceptive mix including hormonal contraceptives. There are also some ethical concerns. There are extremely harmful socio-cultural and socio-economic determinants that promote early sexual debut, Teenage Pregnancy, and Child Marriage. There are also grave health related, social and economic consequences for mother and child, and the community. Both Teenage Pregnancy and Child Marriage undermine nearly every Millennium Development Goal. The notable reason given by some fathers for embracing Child Marriage was to protect daughters from what was perceived as “unwholesome” Western values that permit loss of virginity, pre-marital sex and high adolescent sexual networking, necessitating the use of contraceptives. Hormonal contraceptive is a modifiable risk factor of breast cancer. Appropriate early pre-adolescent and adolescent parental care and nurturing before the crisis stage in godly principles is the gold standard for preventing adolescents’ use of contraceptives. Adolescent pregnancy and Child Marriage are not safe options.

Influence of Girl Child Involvement in Commercial Sex Exploitation on Students’ Completion of Secondary Education in Msambweni Sub County, Kenya

Female students’ completion rate of secondary school education is a concern in developing countries where generally women participation in socio economic development of these nations is wanting. A number of issues have been cited by various scholars as the causes for meager participation of female learners in middle level education. In Africa, mixed results arise from different social, cultural and economic factors influencing the female students’ education. In Kenya, in order to ascertain the effect of various aspects on girl child education, various studies have been carried out. In Msambweni Sub County, commercial carnal abuse of minors is rampant putting the sub county in a wanting status. The different practices of commercial sexual abuse of minors consist of sexual abuse by tourists and child prostitution that have emerged to be on the rise as a result of the trending social beliefs, attitudes and practices. The core intention of this study was to find out girl child’s involvement in commercial sex exploitation and its influence on learner’s completion rate of education at secondary school level in Msambweni Sub County. The research was driven by four objectives which focused on girl child involvement in child sex tourism, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and child prostitution and the influence on students’ completion rate of secondary school learning in Msambweni Sub County. This study employed a descriptive research design targeting all tutors and learners in public mixed and girls’ secondary school learning institutions in Msambweni Sub-County and county quality assurance officer for education Kwale County. The research also used a logical sampling technique to choose the respondents. Data collection was done by use of questionnaires consisting of both closed and open ended questions together with the use document analysis schedule. The results were evaluated using a statistical data analysis software notably Statistical Package for Social Sciences-SPSS. Presentation of results was by use of charts, frequency tables and percentages. Several respondents (72%) concurred with the fact that the different forms of CSEC are evidently rampant in Msambweni Sub County. From the findings of this study it has been established that girl child involvement in commercial sex exploitation of children interrupts, delays or denies them the opportunity to complete secondary education. The researcher recommends that relevant programs be developed and facilitated by both government and non-governmental bodies to create awareness on the long term benefits of completing secondary education over the perceived short term benefits of involvement in CSEC. Key Terms; Commercial sexual exploitation of children, Child sex tourism, Child prostitution, early child marriage, Teenage pregnancy DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-20-07 Publication date: October 31 st 2022

Secondary school dropout in Kabawa community in Kebbi State, Nigeria

The prevalence of dropouts in educational institutions especially in secondary schools affected the integrity of the system. It is important to note that, every country invest in its youths because they are the country’s future human resources, among them will emerge leaders in politics, academics, technology, and business of various dimension. This paper attempted to identify the factors that influence school dropout and the consequences that would result. The paper identifies the following as some of the factors that would influence the secondary dropout all over the globe and Kebbi State in particular. The investigation indicated that the problems of dropouts are far more nuanced than its apparent cause would suggest. In the state of Kebbi, there are a number of factors that contribute to students dropping out of secondary school such as kidnapping students for ransom, banditry, thuggery, insurgent activities, general insecurity, cultism, parents' divorce, minority in language/ethnicity differences, physical disability as well as poverty, lack of government support, illiterate parents/family background, “I don’t care”/indifferent attitude in community, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy, early child marriage and etc. These are among several factors contributing to students dropping out of school.

The Role of Human Rights and Customary Law to Prevent Early Childhood Marriage in Indonesia

Preventing early childhood marriage (ECM) can protect children’s rights from the perspective of human rights. There are several rules regarding the age limit for marriage. In Indonesia, the minimum age for marriage is nineteen years. However, in fact, early child marriage is still relatively high, with the seventh highest ranking in the world. This study aims to elaborate on the rights of children, which ECM potentially violates, and to identify who is responsible for minimizing and/or combating this phenomenon. This normative legal research with a human rights approach occurs in the childhood protection context. The results show that ECM has implications for violations against the right to life, the right to education, the right to develop, and the right to health. Thus, more stringently applying international and national law and combining with local wisdom (Balinese Customary Law) in protecting children's rights in the context of preventing ECM can prevent ECM effectively and minimize violations of other children's rights. Moreover, it is believed that the responsibility to reduce and combat ECM not only belongs to the government but also to all stakeholders within the community, such as families, academics, the media, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, and customary.

Impact of Maternal Education and Age on Weight of Child at Birth: Use of Multinomial Logistic Model

The World Health Organization (WHO) prescribed 2.5 kilograms to 4.2 kilograms as the standard for normal birth weight (NBW) and every child whose birth weight is below the lowest bound is regarded as low birth weight (LBW) while above the highest bound is regarded as macrosomia. The odds for a LBW child to die as reported is about 40 times high when compared to a NBW child and these overwhelming death records are higher in developing countries. Therefore, urgent research about the causes of LBW especially in developing countries is very necessary and this motivated this research in Nigeria. In this paper, the Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) model was applied to secondary data from the 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) report to predict the probability of giving birth to NBW and macrosomia babies referenced to LBW babies. The maternal education level and age were considered as the predictor variables. The data was naturally stratified by maternal education level, that is (1 = Higher Education, 2 = Secondary Education, 3 = Primary Education, and 4 = No Education). The equal sample allocation technique which assigns equal stratum sample sizes (ni = 200 for the ith maternal education level) was adopted. The 800 sample size was reduced to 735 after screening for outliers in the maternal age variable. Considering the 54 LBW babies, 57% (0.5741) were from mothers with no education. The results showed that maternal education level and age have causal effects on child birth weight in Nigeria. Younger mothers (less than 28years) are 96.5% likely to have LBW babies while mothers who attained a minimum of primary, secondary, and higher education are 88.00%, 82.00%, and 57.90% likely to have NBW babies respectively when compared to those with no formal education. The research recommends that mothers should acquire at least primary school education and early child marriage (less than 28years) of the girl child should be discouraged.

The Reconstruction of Aisyah’s Marriage Age as a Resolution For Child Marriage Practices Phenomenon

The Reconstruction of Aisyah’s Marriage Age as a Resolution For Child Marriage Practices Phenomenon. The marriage of Aisyah bint Abu Bakr at a young age with the Prophet Muhammad is often used to legitimize the permissibility of marrying small children in the Islamic world. This is what makes the practice of child marriage difficult to eradicate in Muslim-majority countries. This study aims to see how the impact of child marriage on children, the efforts of Muslim scientists in eradicating the practice of child marriage through the reconstruction of Aisyah's marriage age as well as the government's efforts to eliminate the practice of child marriage during the pandemic. This study is library research using a qualitative approach. The results show that Aisyah's marriage at the age of 6 years was not relevant to the existing evidence. Second, it is true that Aisyah bint Abu Bakr married the Prophet Muhammad at a very young age of 9 or 10 years, but that age was considered appropriate for marriage in the cultural context of people around the world at that time. Third, the government's action to increase the age of marriage to 19 years for men and women is something that is in line with the objectives of Islamic law (maqāshid al-sharī'ah). Based on these findings, the practices of early child marriage should be prevented, and even prohibited because it is against Islamic Law.

Do Gender-Based Pathways Influence Mental Health? Examining the Linkages Between Early Child Marriage, Intimate Partner Violence, and Psychological Well-being among Young Ethiopian Women (18–24 years Old)

Limited emphasis is placed on understanding the gendered pathways that influence mental health, especially long-term cumulative impacts of gender-based inequalities. Exposure to early child marriage (marriage by age 15) may exaggerate exposure to gender-based mental health risk-factors, providing an opportunity to understand the multi-layered gendered pathways that impact mental health overtime. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from Ethiopia to examine the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being and assessed if intimate partner violence mediates this relationship among young women. We implemented three separate multivariate regression models to assess these relationships. Our results suggest that the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being is influenced by higher levels of violence experienced by women in early child marriages as compared to their counterparts who married later. Investments in longitudinal data are needed to rigorously parse out the relationship between early child marriage, intimate partner violence, and psychological well-being.

Premarital Conception as a Driver of Child Marriage and Early Union in Selected Countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

PurposeThe aim of this study is to broaden understanding of how premarital conception in adolescence contributes to child marriage and early union in selected countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. MethodsData were drawn from the latest Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys from seven countries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea, to examine patterns and trends of premarital conception and its potential contribution to early union and child marriage. ResultsAmong ever-married/in union women aged 20–24 years, who gave birth under 18 years, between 9% and 36% of pregnancies were conceived premaritally. Of these adolescent mothers, who conceived premaritally, 57%–92% were married by the time of birth. Data indicate a trend of increasing premarital conception in six of the selected countries. DiscussionFindings suggest that adolescent pregnancy is a significant driver of child marriage/early union in seven countries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea.

Criminal protection of women’s rights in India: History and modernity

In the unique criminal law model of India, a hybrid combination of principles and institutions of the three legal systems, one of the most odious crimes involves encroaching on the honor, dignity, and sexual integrity of a woman. The authors aim to analyze the criminological principles of the scale and simultaneous latency of violent sexual crimes in India. Cultural and civilizational incentives for the prevalence of rape have been identified, including the historical practice of male polygamy, early child marriage, subordination of a woman in the family, her domestic retreat and “eternal widowhood”, as well as a “gender imbalance” and girls’ infanticide in traditional Hindu families. From the point of view of the systematics of crimes, Indian criminologists distinguish more than ten different categories of “feminine torts”, including sexual assault, are classified as a group of “crimes of passion” (Articles 354, 375–376, 509 of the Indian Penal Code 1860). From the point of view of elemental composition of rape, the objective test is dominant (peno-vaginal penetration) and consists of six alternative conditions of a constitutive element “women’s consent”. The recent innovations in the IPC 1860, which expanded the definition of rape and legalized the concept of “custodial rape” from the judicial practice (Tukaram v. State of Muharashtra 1978), as a special composition of sexual violence using official position. There is a significant expansion of the legislative definition of “violence against women” in the family and at office, as well as the toughening of punishments for violent acts against women, up to the expansion of the grounds for the use of the death penalty.

Early Child Marriage: Customary Law, Support System, and Unwed Pregnancy in Gorontalo

The rate of underage marriage in Gorontalo is very high, even though religion, customs and state laws prohibit it. The results of the direct interviews conducted and the observations made indicate that poverty, low levels of education and matchmaking myths may have caused this increase. Furthermore, the increasingly high level of promiscuity and weakened socio-cultural ties have led to an increase in the number of extramarital pregnancies, and forced marriage is unavoidable to maintain the dignity of the community. It was discovered that most married couples do not wed legally until they have problems in their marriage and seek a divorce. Moreover, women must also be responsible for their life choices because this paper shows that poor service practices have caused underage women to be objectified by physical, social and symbolic violence. The unavailability of a support system from the government and society makes a partner rely on the kindness of his or her parents. Therefore, it was suggested that government intervention, in the form of prevention and support systems for underage married women, must be integrated with the role of the community and religious leaders.

The Narratives of Former Entertainment Workers in Nepal: An Explorative Study of Becoming and Being an Entertainment Worker

This paper explores experiences as being and becoming of entertainment Worker in Nepal. Entertainment sectors, conceptualized here, a place where girls and Women are kept for sexual purposes. In doing so, the timing of events model, and narrative theory were applied to explore how events timing changes the life experiences of former entertainment Workers. Twelve former entertainment Workers were selected from NGO's who were rescued and helped by Youth for Transformation. The oral narration was taken as an interviewing method. Their problems and narratives as being Workers, and the process of becoming, off timing stages of entertainment workers intertwined in family system/sub-system or outside inter-personal system, were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and discussed as informed by thematic techniques, and off timing stage model.
 Following timing of events model and narrative theory, five off timing events led sequential patterns in clients’ life were identified: a) chronic poverty and bigger family size led-sequences; b) single mother led-sequences; c) early child marriage led-sequences; d) love marriage led- sequences, and d) parent’s death led-sequences. Likewise, research generates the client’s construction of the four dominant themes were: a) stigmatization; b) enactment of social expectations; c) role mediation and feminization, and d) health condition.

Family and Community Dynamics That Contribute to Female Involvement in Terrorist Activity in Nigeria

Since 2013, Boko Haram has significantly contributed to gendered violence against women. This study examines the experiences of 16 women and girls who lived in the Boko Haram camp from 2014-2018 and had varying levels of engagement in the organization's activities. The study employs a qualitative phenomenological in-depth interview methodology. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Nigeria yielded data on the respondents' experiences before, during, and after their times with Boko Haram. Based on the analysis of interview responses and field notes, several themes emerged. Overall findings suggest that family and community dynamics play a significant role in terrorism in Nigeria. More specifically, early child marriage and the lack of access to education increase girls' vulnerability to abductions by Boko Haram, which, in turn, contributes to involvement in terrorism. Boko Haram members take control over the most disadvantaged and vulnerable victims and, through direct threats or non-consensual marriage, force these women to succumb to their pressure. Respondents reported facing barriers to reintegration into the community, although those with more formal education tended to fare better. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and counter-terrorism efforts in Nigeria.

An overview of the impact of sexual and gender-based violence on mental and reproductive health: Examining the legal framework, with a view of bringing perpetrators to justice.

In recent times women have been seen by members of terrorist groups as objects used to satisfy their sexual urges, render domestic services, act as spies, recruits, suicide bombers or used in trafficking light arms and ammunitions. Prior to this period most common types of sexual violence where imbedded in harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation or early child marriage. Other forms of sexual violence are in forms of gang rape by armed robbers and cultist in the Southern part of Nigeria or members of terrorist groups, in the Northern part of Nigeria. Most times victims do not report such violence against them because of societal norms and stigmatization, hence perpetuators are not brought to justice. The resultant effect is that victims are often traumatized which in turn affect their mental health. Their reproductive health is not equally speared as most victims end up with vesico vagina fistulae (VVF) and in extreme cases die from complications as a result of the violation. The general aim of this paper is to examine the impact of sexual based gender violence on the victims mental and reproductive health, specific emphasis will be on sexual violence committed by terrorist groups in armed conflict while examining the legal framework available to a victim for redress. The paper will conclude with recommendations for restorative justice for victims of SGBV, proffer solutions on how perpetuators can be identified and brought to justice.

Associations of Age at Marriage With Marital Decision-Making Agency Among Adolescent Wives in Rural Niger

PurposeChild marriage is associated with multiple adverse health and social outcomes. Although evidence suggests that child marriage is associated with reduced participation in personal and household decisions for women, less is known about the association between age at marriage and decision-making among married adolescent girls. This study assesses associations between adolescents' age at marriage and two dimensions of decision-making (participation and satisfaction) in the high early marriage prevalence settings of Niger. MethodsCross-sectional data from a cluster-randomized control trial of a community-level program to increase the use of modern contraceptives among married adolescents in the Dosso region of Niger were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association of age at marriage with married girls' participation in and satisfaction with decision-making processes. ResultsMore than half of married adolescents (N = 796) were married before reaching the age of 15 years. Older age at marriage was associated with adolescents' increased participation in decisions related to economics (adjusted odds ratio: 1.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.05–1.43) and health-care access (adjusted odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.40), but not with greater reported satisfaction with their control over these decisions. ConclusionsThe study suggests that marrying as a very young adolescent places girls in even more disadvantaged positions regarding decision-making. These findings indicate the need to design programs targeted at addressing inequitable gender norms to reduce early child marriage and increase participation in decision-making. Further study of satisfaction with participation in decision-making is recommended, including consideration of whether it is related to gender norms for participation in decisions rather than actual participation.

Faktor-Faktor yang memengaruhi pernikahan dini di Indonesia

One of the social problems that existed in Indonesia is high rates of early marriage or child marriage. Based on its absolute number, Indonesian has been one of top ten country with the highest number of child marriage all over the world. Early marriage is defined as a marital union by women under 16 years old. Many factors affect early marriage, such as education factor, economy factor, and culture factor. Furthermore, early marriage may have effects on deteriorating physical and psychological health, low educational attainment, and increasing risk of domestic violence. By utilising 2017 IDHS dataset, this study aims to examine the determinants of early marriage in Indonesia. This study applies binary logistic regression method for the data analysis. The results of this study show that variables significantly affect the status of early marriage are marital status at the first sexual intercourse, residential type, partner’s working status, women’s education, and partner’s education. Moreover, variables that do not significantly affect the status of early marriage are women’s working status, wealth index, and interaction between women’s education and wealth index.

Determinants of change in the inequality and associated predictors of teenage pregnancy in Uganda for the period 2006–2016: analysis of the Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys

ObjectiveTeenage pregnancy has become a public health concern in Uganda because of its negative consequences to both the mother and child. The objective of this study was to examine the...

A take on early child marriage in Iran

This is an opinion piece on the practice of early child marriage in Iran, with a brief review of the causes and consequences of this practice. This piece critically looks at the blanket policies, such as minimum age at marriage, that criminalise early child marriage and discusses why such policies may do more harm than good when they are not compatible with the social norms of the societies in which they are implemented.