Girls are being forced to do child marriages due to Corona epidemic.
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My family said that I should not refuse such an offer. The boy who was about to marry me was from a well-to-do family. “
14 year old Abeba told this.
A few months ago, Abeba was under tremendous pressure from his mother and siblings not to turn down the offer and marry and help the family facing crisis during the Corona transition.
Abeba wanted to study and become a doctor, but both her future and studies in her hometown of South Gondar in Ethiopia were uncertain.
16 year old Rabi is still studying in secondary school in Gusau, Nigeria. Four of his close friends at school are married during the Corona transition and his mother feels that Rabi too should get married soon.
Rabi told, “In this week, two girls from my neighborhood are getting married. Insha Allah. I never knew that my turn would come so soon.”
The possibility of marriage at a young age is now being seen as a common practice.
According to a new UNICEF report, due to Covid, in the next decade, one crore girls may have to get married at an early age or say child marriage. According to UNICEF, before the arrival of corona infection, it was estimated that in the next ten years, about 10 million marriages could be of young boys and girls.
After the corona infection, the number of such marriages is expected to increase by 10 percent, ie one crore.
According to this report, one crore girls will get married before they are legally attained by 2030 due to the closure of schools around the world, economic sluggishness and lack of family and child support services.
“These figures suggest that the world will become a more difficult place for girls in the coming days,” says Nanakali Maqsood, Senior Advisor, Department of Prevention of Harmful Movements at UNICEF.
Family matter
Abeba said, “The family should send their children to school instead of getting them married.”
However, the danger of marrying Abeba has been postponed because he has agreed to his father for this.
She says, “My mother and my brother were pressing for my marriage. But when they were counseling, they gave up their stubbornness. After counseling the officers, their thinking changed.”
But the threat of marriage is still hovering over Rabi (name not changed for this). She lives in Damba, the agricultural area of Hausa Phulani in northern Nigeria, where the practice of marrying girls as soon as a suitable boy is found in this area.
The 16-year-old Rabi said, “It all started for me during lockdown. My younger brother was playing a game of spelling, I wanted to play with him. Though I was lagging behind him. My mother was annoyed by this She said. She said that you are wasting your time in school, see your younger brother is teaching you. “
According to Rabi, his mother did not stop here.
Rabi told, “My mother said that till now all the girls studying in school have been married to you. I have told Saifiyu (the one proposing marriage) that she should ask her parents to ask for your hand Send. “
Rabi’s friends Habiba, Mansura, Asmau and Ralia have been married in the last one year. These girls took this step to overcome the financial crisis of the family.
A mother-in-law of her mother, who lives in Rabi’s neighborhood, is unable to understand Rabi’s opposition.
He told, “What should parents wait for. I cannot afford my daughter’s education. Through marriage, the girls settle in their own homes and the number of people in our own house is less.”
Increasing trend of marriage at a young age
By 2011, there was a 15 percent decrease worldwide in terms of marriage at the age of minors, but according to UNICEF, progress could be halted due to corona infection.
Maqsood told, “We were getting success in reducing child marriages across the world. Although we were still far behind in eradicating it completely, but we were walking in the right direction. But Covid derailed us Has given. Due to this epidemic, the lives of young girls have been affected all over the world. “
However, some positive things have also come to light in this report, such that it is possible to stop such marriages by activating at the grassroots level. Although child marriage is common throughout the world, but if the right provisions are implemented, then its number can be reduced considerably. However, experts say that the corona infection has damaged the efforts being made in this direction.
‘I got nine marriage proposals’
Maram, who came to Jordan from Syria a few years ago and lives in the Zatari Refugee Camp on the border, said, “Since the age of 14, I have received nine marriage proposals so far. There was a lot of pressure from the community for my marriage but the parents Has supported me. My mother is my biggest supporter. She said that my age is too small for marriage and I will find it very difficult to understand marriage. “
Maram is going to school and playing football instead of marriage.
She told, “I know the girls who had to leave school after marriage. They had to leave their home family and go to the husband’s house. She was not ready for such a big change. My two friends were married, they He is regretful now. He is in shock from his new life and it seems that his rights have been taken away. “
Is it possible to stop child marriage?
Experts believe that it is possible to stop child marriage with social intervention in time.
Maqsood explains, “India is the best example of this. Many cash transfer schemes have been implemented in India over the last 30 years. As a result, Indian families get financial benefits if the daughters are not married till the age of majority. If marriage If it is not possible to stop, then it can be delayed, it also benefits. “
Maqsood said, “It is equally important. Because by delaying marriage we give them a chance to complete school education. They give the option to improve their ability, efficiency in their life, through which we will reduce the possibility of poverty. Is more. “
Financial help on waiting for marriage …
Savita describes her age as 16-17 years, not quite sure whether she is 16 or 17. However, her age is 14 years written on the identity card. Whom Savita says is wrong.
Savita lives in Uttar Pradesh with her parents, four sisters and two brothers. Savita never went to school, so she does not know how to read and write. During the lockdown, his family definitely got extra food grains, but there is a lot of pressure on him to get married.
Savita had seen her sister get married at a young age but she was not ready for it. With the help of local authorities, her marriage has stopped a few weeks before, after which she is feeling relieved. She has been linked to the cash transfer scheme, according to which if she does not get married for 18 years, then she will get help from financial planning.
After the pandemic …
According to UNICEF’s Nankali Maqsood, the number of child marriages that have increased during the Kovid transition needs to be focused on three important things to check.
He told, “First of all, girls have to be safely sent back to school. They have to be given an opportunity to gain skills in a particular skill or craft. Also we have to see the economic impact of Corona on poor families, we will have to They will have to help. Only then will they not seek the solution of financial crisis by marrying or sending girls. “
According to UNICEF Senior Advisor, due to marriages occurring at a young age, there is a high possibility of girls getting pregnant at a young age. She therefore states the third important point, “Therefore it is important that sexual and reproductive health services are re-issued so that girls can get these facilities. They are aware of and help to make better choices.”
I saved my sister from marriage
After joining the permanent Teenage Education Club in Kalmakanda, northern Bangladesh, Minara campaigns to stop child marriages in her community. When 18-year-old Minara came here for training, she did not know that one day she would be able to save her younger sister Rita from this training.
Minara lives in a hut with her parents and two siblings. He told, “Corona infection has proved very difficult for our family.”
His father lost his job and the family was cash-strapped. After this, a neighbor offered to marry Minara’s younger sister, saying that he wants to help alleviate the family’s financial crisis.
According to Minara, it was the same person who was constantly flirting with Rita before the Corona transition. With the help of her club mates, Minara did not let the marriage happen by calling the child helpline, but they do not know how long it will be possible.
Minara said, “If the impact of the epidemic continues, parents will be forced to marry their daughters under the age of 18”.
Help with counseling
Abeba of Ethiopia hopes that he and his friends will remain in school together and postpone marriage until the completion of graduate studies. 14-year-old MacDies has dreamed of becoming an engineer.
“We are staying in the house under lockdown. I heard the parents talking about marrying me to a boy whom I did not even know. I told them that I do not want to get married. I want to study. But those people were not listening. “
“After that I waited till the school opened. After this, I told the school director. They told the local authorities and they counseled my parents.”
MacDies’ parents have now pledged that they will not marry them before the age of 18.
MacDies said, “Counseling service in our community has helped people a lot. Now the police has also implemented a system of punishing them in case of denial of parents and insistence on marriage.”
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