Child Marriage was a custom for centuries, may be there was a need for it then with low average life expectancy of 30 years in 1900. They wanted to make sure they saw their grand kid before they croaked.
Today, our life expectancy (India) is around 75 and will continue to rise. Of course, I cannot say child marriages are not common, we cannot defy the statistics.
But looking at this baby, makes me sad, I cannot imagine my daughter getting married around 15 here in the US, even though teen pregnancy is common. But it is common in India to get married earlier. Most of us had sisters and brother who got married when they were 15 and up.
We need to let kids be kids. Almost all societies practiced this child marriage, and it is time to change that.
Mike Ghouse
http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com
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8.32 Crore Indian Girls Get Married Off Before Their Legal Age.
9 Lakh Of Them Die During Childbirth
Her mehendi being given the final touches, Rinki was busy taking last minute lessons on a happy married life from her aunt when the gram pradhan reached home to bless the 15-year-old.
Visibly happy, the innocent teenager was cooperating with her parents in committing a crime that has taken lives of more than 9.5 lakh teenage mothers in the past decade.
Rinki is among 8.32 crore girls across India who have got married before attaining legal age of 18. More than 16% of them conceived in the first year of their marriage itself and 7% of them or about 9.5 lakh succumbed to complications arising out of underage pregnancy. The problem is largely prevalent in 10 states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odissha, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. UP alone accounts for 15 per cent of underage marriages, which highest in the country.
child marriage india
"Most girls are about 19.5 years by the time they deliver their baby which is almost two years short of ideal biological age for conception," said Dr Neera Jain, general manager, maternal health, UP. Obstructed labour is the most common complication seen in teenage pregnancies. "This happens because the woman's body has not matured enough to hold the baby for full term. In most cases, death is due to excessive loss of blood during child birth," said Dr Smriti Agarwal, Queen Mary's Hospital. Preeclampsia (high blood pressure and organ damage particularly kidneys) is the other life-threatening complication in such girls. The complications are aggravated further by problems like iron deficiency anaemia and malnutrition.
Besides the teenager, the matter also concerns babies (mostly underweight) who open their eyes to risk of infections. There is a risk of growth retardation, premature deliveries, intra-uterine death of the child, rupture of the membrane that bears the child (amnion) and infection.
Global agencies like World Health Organisation, Unicef, Save the Children see teenage marriages and subsequent pregnancies as violation of rights of two children -- the teenaged girl and her baby. One may speak with any girl in any village randomly to conclude that 'she wanted to study'.
In villages, there's huge social and peer pressure in the village as far as marriage is concerned. "Teenage marriages are deeply associated with perceptions about menarche," said health activist Dr Neelam Singh who undertook a qualitative research on the issue. "We found that rural folks see onset of menarche in terms of marriageability, sexuality and fertility. Things can change only if this notion is systematically altered through behavioural change strategies," she said.
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