Girl Child Marriage: Implications for Community Intervention Programmes

Abstract

Marriage before the age of 18 years is a serious global issue and a violation of a number of international human rights conventions. It has negative implications for young girls including lack of access to education, freedom of will, and the vulnerability to health problems, such as infant and maternal mortality, sexually transmitted diseases and vesico vaginal fistulae, yet many young girls in developing countries regard marriage as a means of securing their future. On the contrary, early marriages violate the rights of girls exposing them to often more negative consequences, including those concerned with their overall development thus leaving them socially isolated with little education, skills and opportunities for employment and self-realization. These conditions ultimately make married girls vulnerable to poverty. This paper provides details of concept and context of girl child or early marriage; causes, and consequences of early marriage, contemporary pressures and actions that have been taken on girl child marriage. Implications for intervention programmes to aid community members delay marriage of girls are suggested. Among such interventions is that since early marriage and childbearing are associated with less education and lower future income for young mothers, community programmes that keep girls in school should be provided.

Keyword: Girl child, Marriage, Community intervention, Programmes