India lets down its child brides - Page 2

In India around 39000 child marriages happen everyday. That means one out of ever 2 girls married is below the age of 18 which is against the law. India tops the list with 40% of the world total happening here.^[21]

Girls who marry earlier in life are less likely to be informed about reproductive issues, and because of this, pregnancy-related deaths are known to be the leading cause of mortality among married girls between 15 and 19 years of age. These girls are twice more likely to die inchildbirththan girls between 20 and 24 years of age.Girls younger than 15 years of age are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth.

Young girls in a child marriage are more likely to experience domestic violence in their marriages as opposed to older women. A study conducted in India by the International Centre for Research on Women showed that girls married before 18 years of age are twice as likely to be beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands and three times more likely to experience sexual violence. Young brides often show symptoms of sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress. wisdom needed here to deal with such sensitive social evils !