A Girls Wish To Be Free
forced child marriage
About Me
My name is Katie Peter and this flyer was created as part of a school project to inform people about Forced Child Marriage. Scan QR code to access my online flyer and links.
Principals of forced child marriage
- In Africa there are some countries that more than 75% of children across the world are being forced into marriage who are under the age of 18.
- It is mainly known to happen to girls but there are some boy cases that still occur.
- There are some known marriages in India and Africa where girls are as young as 5 or 6 that were married to men much older than themselves.
- Some examples are England, China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and sometimes even the United States although the rates are significantly lower than those of African and Indian countries.
Effects Of Forced Marriage
Child marriage can affect a girl both mentally or physically.
Most of the time in child marriages, pregnancy occurs within the next few years (Maswikwa).
“They’ll have a life of poverty and relative deprivation” (Maswikwa).
Another problem is STD’S and/or HIV. With children the risk of getting these diseases increases greatly (Gangoli).
Sexual abuse also is common in forced child marriage and can be extremely harmful to the children.
.After marriage, the girls are usually taken out of school.
Forced Child Marriage Around The World
- Forced child marriage takes place all the time and is spread out through the entire world.
- Every African country is known for participating in forced child marriage.
- Nigeria has nearly 77% of the population marrying yearly.
- Sometimes they send their child to get married because they are too poor to properly care for their children or they are seeking reassurance that their daughter is safe with a husband
Stopping Forced Child Marriage
- Girls not brides meet so they can help stop forced child marriage around the world.
- CRC or United Nations convention is another organization that is helping along with 1990 African charter (ACRWC) to help African countries that need our help (Maswikwa).