While working with the employment of women in Madhya Pradesh, my documentation work takes me to different villages. In this episode I saw children in the lap of many young girls. I thought these girls would seem to be sisters of children in the relationship, but later found out that they were younger mothers who got married at a young age.
What would be the circumstances that would cause parents to send their young daughters with strangers? What factors will play an important role in promoting this practice? This practice has long been rooted in social traditions. Girls forcibly married have little or no control over the decision to become pregnant.
Because of this the teen birth rate rises and the cycle of poverty continues. Talking about the villages I have visited, married people in the age group of 10-18 use contraception less than any other age group.
Girls usually drop out of school. Therefore there is no access to sex education, which increases their problem in dealing with pregnancy and other problems. In most cases here, girls and women are blamed for everything that needs to be stopped.
This issue has very deep consequences. Child marriage endangers the rights of girls, such as education, health, development and development. The patriarchy surrounding them also excludes them from making decisions. Even on the choice of spouse. Sometimes girls between the ages of 5 or 6 are married. After seeing these things, a few words were created in my mind as a poem, which I want to share with you.
Men are often older than girls ;
In the case of child marriages, their families have a big role because they remove them for financial or social benefit. Parents think that they uphold the tradition, get social approval, protect their daughter's chastity and reduce the risk of pre-pregnancy pregnancy.
If they fail to marry their daughters, families may be excluded from the community or worse, their daughters and other family members may be attacked.
At the same time, there is strong economic incentive to do so. When the girl is younger, the cost of marriage decreases. She leaves her parents' home and stops using the family's resources. The groom and his family usually demand a small amount of dowry.
My job experience exposed me to a large number of negative health consequences for child brides and their children. They face HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This increases the chances of giving birth at a young age. Some of my companions who work with young brides on gender-based violence explain the relationship between spouses in child marriage.
Due to low levels of education and life experience, girls are considered in a subordinate role, increasing the risk of verbal or physical abuse by the husband or his family. Child brides are likely to be victims of domestic violence, who are ultimately unable to participate in politics, community affairs and have been isolated in society.
To tackle teenage pregnancies, we must focus on the underlying causes, including gender inequality, poverty, sexual violence, social pressures and stereotypes about women.
As long as we tolerate child marriage, it will remain an everyday occurrence in our country but through government and non-governmental organizations addressing village parents, young women, panchayats, official people and decision-makers. Can help with behavior change.
-ashutosh dubey public speaker!
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1 Comments
Good work
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