Why Child marraige should be banned ?

Child marraige refers to a marraige ( formal or informal ) of a child aged less than 18 to another child or an adult. In india a third of the global total girl children are married . Although child marraige is banned in india but this practice is still prevalent in many parts of the country like UP , Bihar , Maharashtra etc . It is a global issue as it is also prevalent in countries like Niger , Bangladesh , Mali , Chad , Guinea and Nepal .

Child marraige is primarily a poverty driven practice. A girl child is seen either as a burden or a ‘commodity’ which can be married off or sold for money. Often a girl loses all the future prospects of education after the marraige . Also , girls are forced to become a mother as soon as they get married in many countries. This puts them at a higher risk of STDs , teenage pregnancy , abortion and premature births. They are involved in household activities and have no chance of making a future or career.

A young boy who is put in a child marraige may not be ready to accept fatherhood. He may not be able to earn livelihood for the family.

Often in a child marraige , parenthood is inadequate and the marraige can be unstable . Most of the times there is no legal consent taken from either gender . Child marraige can leave children emotionally and physically traumatised and scarred for their life . In an age where they should study , play , make friends and discover themselves , they are involved in parenting and earning for the family. Child marraige is menace that should be completely erased from the world .

Empowering children by giving them education and spreading awareness among the masses regarding the hazards of child marraige can be done to stop this practice. Laws and practices will also help in curbing this menace. Proper incentives and opportunities should be provided to a poor family so that they do not get their children married off early . Overall , if a society works for completely eradicating this practice , then we can surely save children and teenagers from losing their youth and their future.