Child marriages rampant in Visakhapatnam TOI

Traditionally child marriage has been most prevalent among indigenous communities in rural areas across Central America.

But humanitarian groups working in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, say anecdotal evidence gathered in the past five years shows drug-fueled gang violence and organized crime is driving more girls to get married in cities.

"We are seeing and hearing that increasing numbers of girls are getting married and coupled to seek protection from gang violence and intimation from gangs," said Amanda Rives, Latin America advocacy director for the charity World Vision.

"Being in a couple with a gang member may give the girl and her family some level of protection from one gang, but may leave them more vulnerable to rival gangs," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview.

In El Salvador and Honduras - countries with the world's highest murder rates - entire city neighborhoods are controlled by powerful street gangs, known as maras.

In May alone, El Salvador recorded 594 murders, believed to be the deadliest month since the country's civil war ended in 1992.

The letters "MS" of the Mara Salvatrucha and graffiti of rival gang Barrio 18 is scrawled on buildings, marking gang territory. The gangs impose control through extortion, sexual violence, threats, killings and forced recruitment of children.

"Having a partner in a gang can be perceived as something that is much safer than being on the street alone. Girls do it out of fear," said Alejandra Colom, senior program director at the Population Council in Guatemala.

Although there is scant data on the impact of gang violence and child marriage, it may be seen as a form of protection.

"Dating the top dog, whether it's the guy on the soccer team or the leader of the gang, gives a girl some status and this is related to protection and relative - and temporary - power," Colom said.

Child marriage in Central America is also fueled by sexual violence at home, often at the hands of relatives and stepfathers, which drives girls to seek refuge with older men.

"Sexual violence against girls in the home causes many girls to want to leave home," said Ana Elena Badilla, an adviser on gender and youth at the United Nations Population Fund.

Worldwide, some 15 million girls are married off each year, depriving them of education and opportunities, and child marriage is most prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Campaigners say child marriage increases the chance of childbirth complications and child brides are more likely to be victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

While most Latin American countries ban marriage until 18, children can get married at a younger age with the permission of parents or a judge. In Guatemala, for example, under such exceptions girls can get married aged 14, while boys at 16.

(Reporting By Anastasia Moloney, editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org)

International conventions declare that child marriage is a violation of human rights because it denies girls the right to decide when and with whom to marry. This report is intended to help policymakers prevent this violation of girls' rights. It summarizes available data and evidence, while offering advice on the thicket of issues involved, and suggests prioritized actions to reduce and eventually eliminate child marriage.

This chapter describes the challenges that developing countries can expect if current levels of child marriage continue"a future that, in some senses, is already defined by the past and present population dynamics. The analysis is based on girls already born who could marry or enter into union during the period 2010-2030. Over 67 million women aged 20 to 24 in 2010 had entered into marriage or union before age 18"about 13.5 million girls every year. Developing countries face the prospect of a growing number of child marriages, more teenage pregnancies and more girls suffering maternal death and disability. They also face the multiple impacts of population growth.

Targeting current and future child brides

Looking to the future, it is important to understand who child brides are and what challenges they face. As we know, the majority of child marriages are concentrated in South Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa. Just over sixty percent of child brides in developing regions have no education.
When formulating a course of action targeting child marriage, at least two key population groups should be considered: 1) girls under 18 who are already married or in union and facing the consequences of child marriage, and 2) girls already born that are at risk of child marriage, in particular girls living in rural areas in situation of poverty, and with low education levels. The latter include girls aged 0-4, 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 in 2010. Chapter 6 discusses the options available for the development of policies and programmes to benefit both groups.

If child marriage trends are to continue, worldwide, 142 million girls will be married in the next decade (during the period 2011-2020) 33. This translates into an average of 14.2 million girls who will marry every year. These numbers could be even higher, reaching 151 million girls by the end of the period 2021-2030. This potential increase in the total number of girls marrying before age 18 is determined by already bigger cohorts of already born girls. The majority of developing societies are still growing in size as a result of declining levels of mortality and slower reductions in fertility, resulting in age structures dominated by younger cohorts.


No time to lose


The majority of girls affected by child marriage are living in South Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, the number of child brides is likely to increase from 24.4 million (4.9 million per year) girls in 2010 to 27.9 million (5.6 million per year) in 2030. Over a
20-year period (2010-2030), a total of 130 million girls in South Asia alone are likely to marry or enter into union as children. This analysis is based on trends in the population dynamics from the past 15 years and assumes no change in the prevalence of child marriage estimated for 2010 through to 2030.
The implications are staggering, and demand swift action. First, strong commitment is needed from all parties to eliminate the practice of child marriage. Even at lower rates, the absolute number of girls likely to marry before age 18 will remain high as a result of population growth.
Extra efforts will therefore be required to sustain the reduction in the total number of girls affected by child marriage. Second, even under the best possible scenario, it should be assumed that some girls will marry before age 18. This will demand action on an array of issues around sexual and reproductive health for which societies, governments and communities in particular, should
be prepared.
Understanding the dynamics of child marriage within countries will also enable policymakers and programmers to target their efforts most effectively to curb this harmful practice. In India, for example, data from three consecutive household surveys showed that the rate of child marriage among girls under age 15 is declining at more than twice the rate than among girls under18 years of age (30 per cent reduction versus 13 per cent reduction). While this can be interpreted as a sign of progress, it is still not sufficient to guarantee children their full rights in terms of education, sexual and reproductive health and the right to self-determination.
Understanding the dynamics of child marriage within countries will also enable policymakers and programmers to target their efforts most effectively to curb this harmful practice. In India, for example, data from three consecutive household surveys showed that the rate of child marriage among girls under age 15 is declining at more than twice the rate than among girls under18 years of age (30 per cent reduction versus 13 per cent reduction) . While this can be interpreted as a sign of progress, it is still not sufficient to guarantee children their full rights in terms of education, sexual and reproductive health and the right to self-determination.