Child marriage is defined as any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the parties are below 18 years of age. Each year, 12 million girls are married before they are 18. That equals 23 girls every minute and nearly one every three seconds.
Watch, discuss, and reflect:
Go through the video first, before you move on to the questions below.
- The video mentions many of the consequences of child marriage. Make a list of some of the consequences - for the individual girl, for the community, and for the nation. How are these consequences interconnected?
- In 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by world leaders. The 17 goals are all closely interconnected: a lack of progress towards one goal hinders progress towards others. Go through the 17 goals and find out which goals will be difficult-/-impossible to achieve if the practice of child marriage is not ended. Here is a list of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
- We often differentiate between forced marriage and arranged marriage. Is it possible to use the same differentiation when we talk about child marriages? Give reasons for your answer.
- It has often been said that if you educate a girl, you educate a community. Why is education so important in the fight against child marriage?
- Child marriage is most common in developing countries. But are there any Western countries that allow child marriage? Find out: What is the legal age of marriage in Norway? In the United Kingdom? In the United States? Did anything you found out surprise you?
Research:
Before you start working on this task, you should read the following article from the Council on Foreign Relations, which provides you with some interesting background information: Link to Council on Foreign Relations webpage about Child Marriage.
Then, choose a country where child marriage is a common practice. Find information about child marriages in the country you have chosen. Ask yourself questions like:
- Why do so many child marriages take place in this country?
- What is the legal age of marriage in this country?
- What are the consequences of child marriage for the girl, the community, and the nation?
- Who are most likely to end up in a child marriage?
- How should we work to end child marriage in this country?
Share your information with the rest of the class in a group, as a presentation, or as an expository essay.
You may use the websites suggested below, but you are also encouraged to find more information other places.
Suggested web resources:
- Link to the webpage of the organisation Girls, Not Brides
- Link to UNICEF's webpage about child marriage.
- Link to the United Nations Population Fund's webpage about child marriage.
Link to the Council on Foreign Relation's webpage about Child Marriage