Peer-reviewed article
Early Marriage Situation of Ethnic Adolescent Girls in Xiengnguen District, Luang Prabang Province
Ye Yang ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study looked at early marriage among Hmong and Khmu adolescent girls in two villages of Xiengnguen District, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR. It collected data through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from 44 purposively selected people, including girls, parents, customary law leaders and village authorities. Most girls saw early marriage as a way to gain independence and a better life. Parents, customary leaders and village authorities strongly rejected it, saying it does not fit cultural tradition or Lao law. The study reports that early marriage can lead to many children, health risks for girls and continued poverty.
Key points
- Most adolescent girls viewed early marriage as a way to pursue independence and a better life.
- Marrying young tends to lead to having many children, puts girls' health at risk and keeps them in poverty.
- All adolescent girls in the two villages relied on farming, with an average annual income of about 27 million Lao Kip, which was not enough for basic needs.
- Parents, customary leaders and village authorities strongly rejected early marriage as inappropriate and not in line with Lao PDR legal frameworks.
- Early marriage places heavy burdens and anxiety on families, including both parents and parents-in-law.
Limitations
The sample is small (44 people), purposively chosen and drawn from only two villages of two ethnic groups, so the results cannot be generalised. The abstract gives no detail on how the link between early marriage and poverty or health risks was measured, and it does not evaluate any intervention.
Abstract
This study intended to investigate the situation of economic, education, culture and attitude of ethnic adolescent girls, parents, local customary law leaders and village authorities toward early marriage among Hmong and Khmu ethnic groups in Xiengnguen District, Luang Prabang Province, Data and information were collected via semi-structured interviews questionnaires, by using purposive sampling targeted a total of 44 samplings. The quantitative data were analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS program in percentage and the qualitative information was consolidated from all responses. The key findings revealed that most adolescent girls viewed early marriage as a way to pursue independence and a better life. Anyhow, getting marriage at young age has tendency to have many children, put girls’ health at risks and trapped in poverty. evidence indicated that all ethnic adolescent girls in the two target villages relied on doing farming, their average annual income was approximately 27 million Lao Kip and was insufficient for the basic needs, In summary, parents, customary leaders, and village authorities strongly reject early marriage notion, viewing it as an inappropriate practice that fails to preserve cultural tradition. Moreover, it was not aligned with with Lao PDR legal frameworks, the findings also highlighted that early marriage imposes significant burdens to the family and put substantial anxiety for both parents and parent-in laws.