Chapter 13 Objectives:
Child marriage: Men,women, boys and girls can be forced to marry. Forced marriage involves individuals who are forced to marry against their will or forced to stay in their marriage against their will (“Forced Marriage”, n.d.; “About Arranged/Forced Marriage”, n.d.). In these cases, emotional abuse, deception, and threats are instrumental. Any marriage entered into with a child is typically considered forced since a child is too young to consent(ILO and Walk Free Foundation, 2017; Nour, 2009.
Consequences of forced marriage: limited to no education, a lack of female empowerment, exposure to domestic violence, contraction of STD’s, early pregnancy. Child marriages end the kid’s life because they are forced to dedicate their time and energy to their spouse.
How other regions view forced and child marriage:
Betsy Layman was 17 when she was forced to marry a man she had only known for 45 minutes. After being with him for 10 years, she managed to escape with her children. She struggled to survive, but now she has found a stable job. This happened in New York. Let that sink in.
Read more about her here: http://www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-survivor-stories/
- What is forced and child marriage?
- What are the consequences of these marriages?
- How other regions view forced and child marriage
- Learn about Betsy Layman’s story
- Documentary on Child marriage
Child marriage: Men,women, boys and girls can be forced to marry. Forced marriage involves individuals who are forced to marry against their will or forced to stay in their marriage against their will (“Forced Marriage”, n.d.; “About Arranged/Forced Marriage”, n.d.). In these cases, emotional abuse, deception, and threats are instrumental. Any marriage entered into with a child is typically considered forced since a child is too young to consent(ILO and Walk Free Foundation, 2017; Nour, 2009.
Consequences of forced marriage: limited to no education, a lack of female empowerment, exposure to domestic violence, contraction of STD’s, early pregnancy. Child marriages end the kid’s life because they are forced to dedicate their time and energy to their spouse.
How other regions view forced and child marriage:
- Asia: Has the highest rates of child brides. There are laws that prohibit marriage before becoming adult, but they are loosely enforced.
- Africa: Early marriage is extremely common, virtually always arranged, and girls have little foreknowledge of their marriage or their husband. 95% of the girls surveyed did not know their husband before marriage, and 85% were not told that they were going to be married.
- The Americas: Forced marriage is condemned in the U.S. However, a recent assessment of U.S. state laws on minimum age of child marriage indicate we have a ways to go in the U.S. to eradicate this practice (Tahirih Justice Center, 2018). Results of this assessment specify that while many states do have age floors set by statute, in most states, exceptions are permitted to allow children under the set age to marry.
Betsy Layman was 17 when she was forced to marry a man she had only known for 45 minutes. After being with him for 10 years, she managed to escape with her children. She struggled to survive, but now she has found a stable job. This happened in New York. Let that sink in.
Read more about her here: http://www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-survivor-stories/
Child Marriage in India Documentary:
Ask Yourself:
- Do you think child marriage is a form of human trafficking?
- What are your views on children being forced into marriage?
- Were you surprised to learn that child marriage continues to occur in the U.S.?
- How do you think this problem can be solved?
Additional Resources:
https://plan-international.org/sexual-health/child-early-forced-marriage
http://www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-survivor-stories/
https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/crime-law/forced-marriage/