Pakistan is the home to nearly 19 million child brides today. Statistics show that 18.7% of women aged 18-22 marry as children in the country. It is argued that social and cultural factors are the leading factors behind girl child marriages in rural settings in Pakistan. This study investigates the social and cultural factors as causes of girl child marriages in district Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province of Pakistan. A cross-sectional research design was applied to conduct a household survey of women respondents aged 15-49 years. The researchers used a questionnaire as data collection tool, and a sample of 384 married women was selected. The researchers took informed consent from all the respondents, and female research assistants were engaged to collect data from women in traditional cultural settings. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the dependent and independent variables, while a Pearson correlation test was applied to draw the correlation of girl child marriage and social factors as drivers of girl early marriage in the study locale. The results explained that girl child marriage is a harmful practice which is socially approved. It is also explained that family elders are the key decision makers of girl child marriage in their family (r = .202, p value 0.001). It is also explained that Pakhtunwali is considered a code of life where girl child marriage is regularised in the social structure of Pakhtun society (r=204, P. value 0.001). The research study recommends a behavioural change programme at the community and school levels to prevent girl child marriage in the country.
Muhammad Sadiq, Hussain Rasheed Ali, Qaiser Khalid Mahmood
Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical, sociodemographic, and physical abuse-related factors of adolescents who are referred by the court to child and adolescent psychiatry clinics for early marriage. Methods: A total of 115 adolescent girls aged over 15 years were included in the study. Sociodemographic information was obtained with the information forms prepared by the interviewer. Participants were also subjected to psychometric evaluation by psychologists and social review by social workers. Results: Of these children with a mean education year of 5.41±1.7, 28.7% had a psychiatric diagnosis. The most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorder was adjustment disorder (12.2%). There was a significant relationship between the duration of the marriage and the age difference between them and having a psychiatric diagnosis. Moreover, there is a significant difference between the age of the spouse and the age difference and physical abuse. Conclusion: To have comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of adolescents who are married early can provide insight into the development of systems and policies that support the development of education, knowledge, and skills of these adolescents.
Abstract Background: Early marriage and early childbearing are common practices in Ethiopia. Girls who got married and give birth at a very young age are more likely to experience several health problems including anemia among others. However, the effects of early marriage and early childbearing on anemia status of adolescent girls have not been quantified in previous studies. In this study, we assessed whether early marriage and early childbearing measured at both individual and community levels are associated with adolescent anemia. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2016 demographic and health survey of Ethiopia. Our study concentrated on 3,172 late female adolescents (15-19 years). For bivariate analysis, we used the chi-squared test and spearman correlation coefficients. The relationship between early marriage and childbearing with anemia was evaluated using multilevel binary logistic regression models while controlling other determinants.Results: Overall prevalence of anemia among female adolescents was 23.8 (95% CI; 22.3-25.2). Our multivariable multilevel analysis showed that individual-level marital status (AOR=1.53, 95% CI=1.06-2.02) and community-level childbearing status (AOR=2.80, 95% CI 1.25-6.29) were positively associated with anemia among female adolescents.Conclusion: Our findings show that the consequences of early marriage and early childbearing on adolescent anemia are significant. There is a need to avoid early marriage and childbearing in Ethiopia to improve the health status of adolescent girls.
Introduction: Child marriage mainly affects girls living in poorer rural areas and is on the rise in some locations, including Upper Egypt.The aim was to evaluate the effect of the primary prevention program of health consequences for early marriage among female adolescent students and conducted at two schools representing in a rural area in El-khosos district, El Qalubia Governorate.A quasi experimental design and a purposive sampling of 137 female students were at three grades of the selected schools.One tool was used for data collection were a self-administered questionnaire including socio demographic characteristics of students, students' knowledge related to early marriage health consequences, Perception of students toward adverse bio-psycho-social health consequences of early marriage and its' preventive procedures, assess female students' practices related to personal hygiene, nutrition and physical exercises during menstruation.Results: The study was concluded that the majority of students had unsatisfactory knowledge regarding early marriage health consequences preprogram while in post program more than two thirds of them had satisfactory knowledge with a highly statistically significant difference between their knowledge, healthy practices pattern and perception between pre and post primary prevention program implementation.Conclusion: Primary prevention program reported a remarkable improvement in female students' knowledge, perception and health practices toward early marriage health consequences.Recommendations the study recommended that applying for health education programs among students in different educational settings focusing on early marriage health consequences with an implementation of practical training courses.
Hemat Abd El Moneem Elsayied, Omaima Mohamed Esmat, Hala Mohamed Mohamed Hussein
Despite widespread condemnation of child marriage in Bangladesh, the practice is still deeply ingrained in Bangladeshi society. Multiple initiatives have been developed to end child marriage, yet prevalence rates have only been decreasing slowly. In 2017, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The Government of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Children and Women’s Affairs, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and other partners launched a transmedia campaign, Icchedana, to address social norms surrounding several issues surrounding the well-being of adolescent girls. Data were collected in 2017 and 2019. After conducting a literature review and identifying five determinants of child marriage (poverty, the practice of dowry, family honour, education, and violence against women and girls) in Bangladesh, we used questions that were specifically relevant to child marriage. Two questions from each level of the social-ecological model (SEM) were selected. The SEM was utilized in this paper because it acknowledges that change must occur at each level for change to occur. The findings show that having watched Icchedana was associated with positive attitudes towards ending child marriage in Bangladesh and provide insight into the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about child marriage in Bangladesh.
PURPOSE: The child marriage field lacks a simplified framework that connects an understanding of the drivers of child marriage for girls to decisions about the design of interventions to delay marriage within different contexts and support married girls. METHODS: We reviewed existing child marriage frameworks and conducted consultations with experts working on child marriage. We then developed a simplified conceptual framework describing the key drivers of child marriage for girls. We explored how these drivers play out and interact using qualitative data from three settings where child marriage is common: Bangladesh, Malawi, and Niger. RESULTS: The final conceptual framework lays out five core drivers of child marriage for girls, which vary and interact across contexts. Social norms and poverty are shown as core drivers that underlie lack of agency, lack of opportunity, and pregnancy/fear of pregnancy. These drivers reflect community, household, and individual-level factors. The case studies highlight the important relationships between these drivers, and the way they interact within each context. We use these examples to explore how policymakers and practitioners might identify the most appropriate interventions to address child marriage across different settings. CONCLUSIONS: We offer this framework as a starting point to guide more targeted interventions and policies that address the complex combination of child marriage drivers within each setting. By adapting this framework to different settings, those designing and implementing child marriage prevention interventions can identify the key drivers in each setting, understand how those drivers interact, and more effectively target effective interventions.
Stephanie R. Psaki, Andrea Melnikas, Eashita Haque et al.
Defilement and adolescent pregnancy is considered as an emerging epidemic which required urgent solutions. This early pregnancy took a toll on a girl’s health, education and human rights and prevented her from realising her potential. Teenage pregnancy resulted in increased illiteracy levels among women, baby dumping, infanticide, higher numbers of street kids and stigmatisation, and given that most girls get married to much older men, early marriage renders them susceptible to physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as early widowhood, among others. Therefore, in 2013 Zambia launched a campaign against girl-child-marriage. The capacity of the media to be a watchdog, act as a voice for the voiceless, reach diverse audiences and influence people’s attitudes and behaviours cannot be doubted. However, in Zambia it is not clear how the media has been involved in this fight.
So the objective of this research is to find out how the media has been involved in protecting the girl-child from sexual abuse in Zambia. The study applied a qualitative method by conducting a content analysis of the textual material. The researcher analysed the Zambia Daily Mail and the Times of Zambia newspapers, special committee reports and special letters through social media. This research applied the purposeful/ judgemental sampling techniques because the researcher knew the target group. Basically it was the non-academic world which included the Zambian first ladies because they are the ones who are in the forefront against the girl-child sexual abuse, the United Nations, the National Assembly of Zambia, the Ministry of Gender and some Non-Governmental Organisations. Then two theories were used in guiding the researcher. These were the Muckraking Theory and the Ecology of News Model. This muckraking imagery implies that investigative journalists unearth evidence of a problem. The exposure of the problem leads to the mobilisation of a changed public opinion which leads to a ripple e˙ect in that legislators and administrators initiate a policy. Then the ecology of news model is a theory that says that the press and government actors exist in a ‘mutually constituted’ ecology in which, when interests merge, coalitions are formed. Consequently, the press and public oycials establish quid pro quo relationships so that they collaborate and work together to uproot this scourge.
The researcher undertook an analysis of the Special Committee Report for the 2014 National As-sembly of Zambia committee on youth and sport for the third session of the eleventh national assembly which carried out a research on the girl-child sexual abuse and how this could be brought to an end; analysed the programmes being implemented by Government, Cooperating Partners including the United Nations, and Civil Society Organisations to prevent and mitigate the e˙ects of teenage pregnancy in the country; analysed the speeches of the First Ladies and Minister through the Public Print Media on Child Marriages in Zambia; analysed the 2014 Media Brief by Panos Institute Southern Africa on ending child marriages in Zambia; analysed social media over the letters which were written by female pupils from Kasama Girls Secondary School and Chipembi Girls Secondary School. In all the e˙orts being undertaken to eradicate this scourge, the media is not mentioned as a stakeholder, but just reporting. Hence, the major role of the media in Zambia in fighting this scourge is by and large to expose girl-child abusers by reporting. The research concluded by making some recommendations of how the media can be involved in defending the girl-child other than just by reporting.
A person's Attitude towards an object is a feeling of support or favor (favorable) or feelings of not supporting or not taking sides (unfavorable) on a particular object. The Attitude of teenagers who are not good is a factor in the occurrence of child marriage; they generally do not understand the risks to their bodies. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of adolescents about the risk of child marriage. This research uses a descriptive method. The population is all teenagers at Ahmad Yani 2 Baureno High School, Bojonegoro Regency; in June 2022, there are as many as 226 teenagers. The sample in grades X and XI was taken by accidental sampling, so the number of samples was 125 people. Collect data using a questionnaire, then edit, code, score, and tabulate, which is then presented as a frequency table with percentages and narration. The results showed that more than half of the respondents, namely 66 children (52.8%), were favorable/positive (supportive) that child marriage could result in negative risks, and less than some of the respondents, namely 59 children (47.2%) were unfavorable/negative (does not support) that child marriage may result in negative risks. More than some teenagers have a favorable/positive attitude (support) that child marriage can lead to negative risks, it is hoped that the active role of health workers is to provide counseling to adolescents about child marriage. Especially adolescent girls about a good age for reproductive health and the impact that can be felt when doing child marriage
Sri Mulyani, Musheer Abdulwahid Abdo Aljaberi, Norhashima Binti Abd Rashid
Adolescent marriages and pregnancies are a great risk for both mother and baby, they can cause morbidity and mortality as well as psychiatric problems. Presentation of the cases of a girl who did not know her real date of birth and age, and a newborn who gave birth after a difficult and invasive delivery. Adolescent marriage and child motherhood is abuse that hinders growth, development and well-being. Both mother and newborn should be considered as child abuse, the event should not be normalized. These children should be treated as child abuse and psychiatric examination should be provided for each of them.
Child marriage is undeniably a problem caused by many factors. It is a harmful practice towards childern, especially toward girl, yet the practice is widespread and often supported by the society. Religious court is accused to be the fertilizer of the practice because it's decision show the easyness of granting marriage dispensation lawsuit. The court is demanded to reject the lawsuit, even in the condition of adolescent preganancy because it will harm the child. Then, there are two side causing the dilemma, a side that absolutely reject the practice of child marriage to protect child right. A side that allow child marriage in the sake of preventing zina and preserving offspring. It is concluded that child marriage is not a way to prevent zina. Because a child is not in ideal condition to have sexual intercourse nor to get pregnant. Permitting child marriage to prevent zina is a violence that prohibited by the religious norm. While, permitting child marriage based on the adolescent preganancy is a way to safe the lineage of the unborn baby. However, the marriage may be canceled or divorced after the baby was born if it is considered harmful for the child.
