At its heart, child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and the belief that girls and women are somehow inferior to boys and men.
Child marriage is a complex issue. Poverty, lack of education, cultural practices and insecurity fuel and sustain the practice.
reasons for child marriages are ;
POVERTY
More than half of girls from the poorest families in the developing world are married as children. Where poverty is acute, families and sometimes girls themselves believe that marriage will be a solution to secure their future.
marrying off their daughters allows parents to reduce family expenses by ensuring they have one less person to feed, clothe and educate. Families may also see investing in their son’s education as more worthwhile. In some cases marrying off their daughter is seen as a way of repaying debts, managing disputes, or settling social, economic and political alliances.
In communities where a dowry or ‘bride price’ is paid, it is often welcomed income for poor families;in such cases the groom’s family pays the bride dowry, they often have to pay more money if the bride is young and uneducated, it will be easier to control her as she has not learned and is unaware of the importance of her rights
INSECURITY
Many parents marry off their daughters at a young age because they feel it is in her best interest, often to ensure her safety in areas where girls are at high risk of harassment and physical or sexual assault.
Child marriage can increase in humanitarian crises, such as in conflict zones or after a natural disaster. When families face even greater hardship, they may see child marriage as a coping mechanism in the face of poverty and violence. Nine out of the ten countries with the highest child marriage rates are considered fragile states.
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