Child Marriage: Detrimental Effects and Social Consequences

This research essay discusses the detrimental effects of child marriage on physical and psychological health, as well as its social consequences. It explores the reasons behind child marriage and emphasizes the need for its abolition. The essay also highlights the efforts made by governments and organizations to address this issue.

Child Marriage
The modern world reflects certain realities, and unfortunately, child marriage
is one of them. Children are married off at an early age and this has a detrimental
effect on a child. In some countries, this is due to poverty, illiteracy and a low
standard of living, and in other countries due to societal norms and established
traditions. This topic is relevant since this phenomenon of child marriage determines
not only the future of those countries where it is prevalent but also of the entire planet.
This research essay aims to consider the phenomenon of child marriage, different
opinions on this matter, and its possible consequences.
Early marriage can lead to various violations in the psychological and physical
health of girls. In the article "Health Consequences of Child Marriage in Africa",
Nawal Nour describes the difficulties of girls who enter into early marriage.
According to statistics, in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America a massive number of
child marriages take place annually. In a child marriage, the girl is most affected since
she has not yet reached 18 years of age and is prone to various diseases, such as
sexually transmitted infections, cervical cancer, malaria, and can often be depressed
(Nour, 2006). Moreover, despite the high possibility of acquiring a disease, a girl can
die from both premature births and due to the fact that her body fails to cope with
pregnancy-related processes. In addition to this, she bears the responsibilities of
domestic chores and duties and familial and societal obligations that must be fulfilled,
as she now together with her spouse form the unit of society.
Many public figures associate child marriage with prostitution and, based on
this, conduct some researches. Susanne Mikhail in the article "Child marriage and
child prostitution," in turn, emphasizes that some factors, such as the economic
situation in the country, lack of freedom, violation of the rights and privileges of

children, affect the relationship of prostitution and child marriage. Moreover, the
limited capabilities of children regularly contribute to making the wrong decisions for
trying to survive. A similar trend is observed in less developed countries or third
world countries (Mikhail, 2002). According to the information provided in the article,
the government of such countries is taking a plethora of measures to minimize child
marriage but this process is time consuming and requires a rather long period. In
trying to follow the social norms, and in an effort to survive and get only the best
from life, children begin to engage in prostitution and marry and have children.
Young spouses face some social problems due to pregnancy or early marriage.
In most cases, early pregnancy can significantly change and affect a girl's life. In the
article "Child Marriage, Society and the Law" by Biswajit Ghosh, he emphasizes that
the social conditions of the modern world are not adapted to people who have entered
into marriage under 18 years of age. The girl has difficulty in school, often
experiencing condemnation from other people, financial disadvantages (Ghosh,
2011). Some find salvation by contacting various social services, while others, having
given birth to a child, live with their parents and hope for their support. Young
mothers often have trouble seeking employment or in life in general.
The married couple in most cases faces financial difficulties. The article
"Marriage and Finance" by Jeffrey Dew examines research aimed at studying the
financial problems faced by young spouses. The low level of income or the absence of
any source of income leads young people to poverty. They lack the opportunity to get
a good education in order to build a successful career in the future and hold a leading
position. Due to a lack of education and requisite knowledge, it becomes difficult to
find a stable and reliable source of income. Misunderstandings and quarrels occur in
every family and marriage, as well as in child marriages. Problems in early marriages

can regularly occur because, in the opinion of her husband, his wife does not match
the image of the ideal wife that he had in mind and saw in her before the wedding.
The husband of the child bride may be dissatisfied with her because she is not gentle
enough with him, is silent, closed sometimes or quiet, carelessly combed, casually
dressed, talks too much at a party and does not properly educate their child. The sharp
tone and nature of the husband may also offend the wife with the result that she too
addresses and responds to him sharply. In addition to this, the problem of early
marriage also lies in the fact that couples fail to realize that they can both be wrong in
certain situations. The difference in upbringing plays a crucial role here because
everyone is used to living according to predetermined parental rules which is stated in
the article "Relationship satisfaction, attachment, and nonverbal accuracy in early
marriage" by Patricia Noller and Judith Feeney. All over the world, the authorities are
trying to take actions to eliminate or minimize child marriage. By issuing strict laws,
the rulers are not able to prevent this phenomenon since for the successful application
of the rules it is necessary to create a specific local organization for more precise
control (Nguyen & Wodon, 2015). The journalists Minh Nguyen and Quentin Wodon
say that health organizations should focus on this problem if it exists in the country in
the article "Global and Regional Trends in Child Marriage." To achieve a positive
result, they need to investigate, collect data and make statistical calculations to
determine the number of child marriage, their level of life, number of children born,
and possible diseases of adolescent parents. With the help of such information, it will
become apparent in which area it is necessary to carry out an urgent reorganization.
Aids can be help and advice from psychologists and staff and various services, which
in turn will help to name the thinking process in children and stop child marriage.

The main argument against early marriage is that young girls rarely
understand what a family is and why it is for them. Sometimes they indulge in it
because they want to be free from the custody of their parents. Marrying at an early
age, the spouses are not fully aware of the risks they take. Due to a lack of education
and experience, a girl can easily become pregnant which results in a rapid
deterioration of her health, as the body is still in the process of formation. In addition,
the post-natal stress and depression caused by the imminent birth of a child can
completely deplete the girl, or lead to her death. Accompanied by psychological
stress, relationships between young spouses can quickly end or lead to negative
results.
Poverty and a weak economic situation in a country can serve to spread child
marriages. Based on local traditions and social laws, children can be forced into
marriage early. A similar phenomenon is observed in many countries like India and
Africa where children have no choice but to enter into marriage and sex as these
norms is dictated by society. Young girls are subjected to various types of violence
and they see no other way out of the current situation.
In conclusion, one can say that today, child marriage is a common
phenomenon in the world, its consequences are extremely negative and hence this
system should be abolished. Many scientists and specialists have come up with
various ways to avoid this trend but this does not help in all cases. Married children
are not only subjected to violation of their own selves but also face a plethora of
problems in society. Moreover, after marriage, the young girl can become pregnant
which affects the spiritual and physical health of the child bride. The solution to this
problem cannot be universal since in each country the reason to enter into early
marriage is unique in its own way. However, with the help of further thorough

research, experts can gather a sufficient amount of necessary information by which
they can then make assumptions about how best to deal with this problem of child
marriage.
Research Questions:
1. What are the detrimental effects of Child Marriage?
2. Discuss Child Marriage as a social phenomenon. What are its consequences?

References
Dew, J. (2008). Marriage and Finance. Handbook of Consumer Finance Research,
337-350.
Ghosh, B. (2011). Child Marriage, Society and the Law: A Study in a Rural Context
in West Bengal, India. International Journal of Law, Policy and the
Family,25(2), 199-219.
Mikhail, S. L. (2002). Child marriage and child prostitution: Two forms of
sexual exploitation. Gender & Development,10(1), 43-49.
Nguyen, M. C., & Wodon, Q. (2015). Global and Regional Trends in Child
Marriage. The Review of Faith & International Affairs,13(3), 6-11.
Noller, P., & Feeney, J. A. (1994). Relationship satisfaction, attachment, and
nonverbal accuracy in early marriage. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior,18(3),
199-221.
Nour, N. (2006). Health Consequences of Child Marriage in Africa. Emerging
Infectious Diseases,12(11), 1644-1649.