Achi news desk-
Historically found in many regions of the world, and accepted within many cultures, is the social practice of child marriage. That is the religio-civil union between an adult and a child, someone who is 13 years old or younger.
This practice occurs daily on many continents, especially in Africa, Asia, Asia Minor Middle Eastern Nations, and Latin America where poverty limits the education and well-being of children and adults alike. But the social influences of poverty cannot be the only thing to blame here. as a decline in social norms, of morally and ethically declining social structures, turning humanity’s negativity towards the family, which was once protected, but is now a breeding ground for social greed, lust and abuse.
Many national governments have tackled child marriage, the slave trade among children and women around the world. What should be a precious communal gift, a child, becomes a means to an end. That is, that children are sold by their families, traded for land and property, and abused by their elders under the guise of perverted religious-social norms. Many religions in the past allowed underage marriage for several reasons….
The average life span tended to be very short, putting pressure on women to quell men’s desires for children.
Girls often died before their time, and male counterparts looked to the young as a source of sexual partnership.
The governmental and social structures allowed intermarriage between the elderly and young people of similar class structures.
Biblical theology reinforces religious traditions that allow the elderly and the young to marry (Jewish, Christian and Islamic)
Burnout, child abuse, and the abuse of women are rampant within many nations, within financial and poor communities.
Underage marriage puts society at risk, presenting the world with a situation where women cannot protect their young, where a human being (child) is seen as a possession that can be traded, sold or married to a rich old person. Financial exchanges take place, much like the practice of presenting a dowry, but essentially the child is sold.
For example In Mozambique children under the age of 12 are married to older partners every day. A law was passed to prevent such marriages in 2019, but the practice continues with social acceptance. The law imposes legal sanctions on tribal, religious and civil leaders who promote, permit and officiate such marriages. This strong legal framework is simply not effective enough to end centuries-old traditions. International attention is given to the harm done to these young brides, who suffer mental and physical harm from their new husbands and their families. Most young brides are innocent, and unprepared for sexual intercourse, suffering the tearing of the muscles of the sheath, as well as other physical abuse. Many of these men are also allowed to return their brides to their families if they are not satisfied with their marriage, bringing shame on the bride, her family and the community. These young women are often shunned by their families, and their communities and are sometimes killed. Suicide is another side effect of child marriage. Within many cultural-social traditions what happens in marriage is hidden and protected from the wider community, so abuse, sexual violence and beatings can and do happen.
Religious and Biblical Traditions show that underage marriage is acceptable within their sacred books, so why not in contemporary society? Underage marriage is permitted in several US states. In Western Canada child marriage occurs especially within the Muslim Community. I have seen very elderly men visiting a neighbor and spending time with a 12 year old girl, chatting lovingly with them. I asked what was happening, to be told that the man was wooing the child. I told the parents that such practices are illegal in Canada. They told me that the court would take years and that the marriage would not take place until the child was 16, a time when the parents could approve. Cultural traditions practiced in the Old World are certainly transplanted to the New World. In Pennsylvania, I unexpectedly witnessed the marriage of two young girls (aged 12-14) to an elderly fellow. The Christian Church was an independent organization associated with the Mormon Confederacy. The police were present, so I guess they expected trouble to happen. Opposing the practice only resulted in our forced expulsion.
It seems that Child Marriage is an attack on many things, such as the development of a child’s personality, his freedom to choose a direction in the future, the development of the child’s self-understanding of his personality, his body and his mind. For many men marrying someone so young is certainly an act to gain control over the very young woman, her body, her sex, and her future. Like Incest, marrying a child is nothing more than an act of misguided possession, ownership and emotional desire that leads to power over someone the adult should protect, not be used for selfish needs.
We live in a society that allows many things that were once considered anti-social and even deviant. This liberalism, this open mind is welcomed, but our responsibility to protect the weak, the innocent, even the misguided, remains with us. Marrying minors to adults is wrong. If someone loves another, then society, our communities and the authorities that control us should insist on waiting for an acceptable period until the child is of age.
Steven Kasab
Bradford, Ontario
[email protected]
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