Child Marriage: The Consequences And Effects Of Child Brides

One day she was nine years old and playing in the field. The next day she was nine years old and a bride. For girls like me, this sounds like a story from ancient history, but for girls such as Nujood Ali, this is a reality. Child marriage is defined as marriage before 18 years of age, and it affects 15 million girls each year. Among many developing countries, child marriage is an active practice that changes the lives of countless young girls. Child marriage violates human rights as well as the millennium development goals set by the United Nations to improve the lives of people worldwide. This practice robs young girls of the pleasures of childhood while putting them at risk of experiencing fatal health issues, and it does not empower girls
In Africa, where child marriages are the most frequent, many people are unprotected against malaria, meaning that millions of pregnant women and their babies are at a higher risk of death because of malaria. Their risk is higher because pregnant women have a weakened immune system and are more susceptible to becoming infected with disease. Other diseases that a child bride is likely to come into contact with are HIV and other STDs. Studies from several countries in Africa show that wives were being infected by their husbands probably because a young girl’s cervix is not yet well-lined with protective cells (Nour). Child brides in a polygamous marriage are also prone to getting these diseases since husbands have multiple partners. These diseases cause problems for child brides who contract them as well as their babies since HIV can be transmitted during pregnancy and through breast milk. Because child marriage spreads many diseases, it makes fulfilling the millennium development goal of combating these diseases a lot harder. This goes to show that child marriage does not promote the overall health of the people of the
To start off, Nujood Ali tells in her book that, “In Khardji, the village where I was born, women are not taught how to make choices” and also states, “I have always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything” (23, 18). For their whole lives, child brides have been taught to obey and have had no example of a female defying the standards of their society so it is hard for them to stand up for their selves. This does not fulfill the millennium development goal of female empowerment because these child brides are not taught how to decide or speak up for what they believe in. It is hard for me to think that at a place like Cor Jesu a young woman sharing her opinions is greatly encouraged but in other parts of the world it is not even allowed. I feel bad for people in those parts of the world because they will never know of the great things a young girl in their community can accomplish because she is not taught to fight for things like her education or her marriage. This constant act of obeying can lead a young woman to feel powerless in her marriage because she cannot deny the orders of her husband, father, or brothers. First, she is not asked if she wants to get married, then she is greatly pressured into having children, and she also cannot refuse her husband’s desire for another wife (Cullen-DuPont 81). Also, when a girl is forced into a marriage by her family,