What's love got to do with it?

What's love got to do with it?

The issue of child and forced marriage is one that persists around the world, and was recently highlighted in Bangkok

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
What's love got to do with it?
photo © Katarzyna Bialasiewicz/Photographee.eu/123rf.com

Soft-spoken anti-child-marriage activist Albina knows all too well the downside to early and forced marriages, from her community of Sunsari in Nepal. Her mother was a product of such a union, forced to leave school at age 16 and marry a man of her parents' choice.

While she was allowed to eventually become a social worker, she was not encouraged to complete her education.

"It was at an early age that my mother taught me the need to complete my education before agreeing to settle down," said the 18-year-old, who dreams of becoming a teacher. "She aspired to get a good education for herself so that she could one day work in a bank. Not being able to accomplish this was a big disappointment that left a huge void in her. Good for her that she didn't give up.

"Luckily, her in-laws eventually allowed her to attend night school, where she received her certification to become a social worker."

The matter of child marriage and forced marriage is an excruciating human-rights issue that wreaks havoc in many countries across the globe. An example close to home is that of 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who stopped in Bangkok while on her way to seek asylum in Australia. The teen is reported to have fled her family in Saudi Arabia, where she claimed she was being forced into a marriage. Although her father denied trying to force his daughter into arranged wedlock, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s recent recognition of her refugee status has proven that Qunun is still a lucky one.

But as for Albina, despite her mother being one of the more fortunate cases of child brides in Nepal, she conceded how the early union impacted her mother's physical and emotional health. According to her, Nepalese youth today are better aware of the pitfalls of what many in Nepal consider a traditional practice.

To raise public awareness regarding this conundrum, Plan International together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recently released a report entitled "Time To Act: Accelerating The Elimination Of Child, Early And Forced Marriage". And thanks to its efforts, there is definitely better awareness of the subject among boys and girls in the community in her country, admitted Albina, where elders and youths are more educated on the huge impact child and forced marriage can have on not just the life of girls but also boys. In numerous instances, the groom is also underage.

"My goal is to see a world free of child marriages, where both men and women are educated and following their aspirations in life while jointly raising their children," Albina added.

Rasa Sekulovic, Plan International's regional head of child protection and partnerships, who worked on a recent report, said it is a well-documented fact that early and forced child marriages strip the innocence of its victims, jeopardising the girl bride's rights and standing in the path of her education, health and ability to live a productive adult life. The impact could also include gender-based violence, divorce and more.

Research also lays bare facts that call for an expeditious intervention into the growing social issue.

Quoting from a report, he noted approximately one in two girls in South Asia are married prior to the age of 18.

Economically, it is more lucrative for countries to address this issue headlong, as a whopping US$12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women's equality.

He remarked that bridging the gender gap must start from birth, and that skills and training have to be continuous and future-proof to achieve positive results.

"For the aforementioned report, we did a survey of 14 countries and found that Thailand ranked No.6, behind Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Laos and Pakistan.

"The most volatile groups in Thailand are ethnic minorities," remarked Sekulovic.

"We also found 'volunteer' early marriages, unions of teens aged 15-18, becoming an emerging trend in Southeast Asia today. There are an assortment of reasons for this, some of which include ethnic tribal traditions, lack of opportunities in both education and career advancement, premarital sex, and more.

"Other common gender norms, cultural beliefs of ethnic minorities that play a role, include the patriarchal system, the notion that women should stay at home and be responsible for household tasks, and that men are the main decision makers."

Sekulovic said the information collected in this report covers all aspects of child marriage to better equip relevant parties with information of what works and what doesn't, so they can use it to address the issue in their individual communities.

"It is our goal to end the practice of child marriages by 2030, which means we have 11 years left. If we don't accelerate our efforts to reach this objective, by 2013 another 150 million girls will be married off," said Sekulovic.

"This means we need to accelerate our efforts by eight times the current rate. We need to work together with everyone, from families and communities to government and private sectors, to reach this mission."

What is working in their favour is youth advocacy, he continued. Teens and young adults are taking up the cause and raising awareness in schools and within their peer groups. If a friend is being married off at a young age, they step in by dissuading parents from going through with it. Of course, this is done with respect, as they share the negative impact it would have on their child.

"It is commendable what the youth today are doing to eradicate the practice of child marriage within their communities," said Sekulovic. "We need to continue to support and equip them with sound knowledge on issues that impact them, be it in the areas of education and sexual and reproductive health or following their aspirations.

"However, the success of all our efforts can only bear fruit when we are able to successfully address gender inequality. We have to work in parallel to eradicate the notion that women are second-class citizens.

"On the same note, gender stereotypes impact men as well. They are also under immense pressure to conform to the norms that they are born into. That is why we encourage men and boys to take a stand on this matter and refuse to go with the flow. Many have joined hands by advocating anti-early-marriage practices."

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (1)