Issue of legal age of marriage for girls

Nawar Fairooz | Published: September 17, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Photo: Collected

As we all know, child marriage has been popular in the rural areas of Bangladesh for a long time. But by law, girls cannot get married before 18. Those who were or are getting married before 18 are usually unregistered, and by law are not married.
Recently a discussion about the legal age of marriage for girls has come to light. The government is considering lowering the marriage age for girls to 16 from 18. Many believe 16 is an inappropriate age for girls to get married.
Already Bangladesh suffers from overpopulation problem. This will not help this matter at all. In addition to that, plenty of mothers die due to pregnancy at a young age on a regular basis. Should we really impose such burdens on young girls? Pregnancy at such a young age is harmful for the body and mind.
Half of world's all adolescent births occur in just seven countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and the United States. Births and deaths in the first week of life are 50% higher among babies born to mothers younger than 20 years than among babies born to mothers 20-29 years old. Deaths during the first month of life are 50-100% more frequent if the mother is an adolescent versus older, and the younger the mother, the higher the risks. The rates of premature birth, low birth weight and asphyxia are higher among the children of adolescents, all of which increase the chance of death andÂ future health problems for babies.
Besides the health issues, what does a 16-year-old girl know about marriage? Shouldn't she be enjoying her youthhood with her friends and family members, getting to know the world on her own terms? One might argue that getting married at a young age and having duties enforced upon you will make you mature at a young age. But should we really extinguish the fire of curiosity and mischief in her eyes that early? Is it fair? Does she know enough of the world to take this huge decision that will change her life forever, for better or worse? These lead us to address the issue of forced marriage.
At 16, a girl is hardly educated, qualified or seasoned enough for a job good enough to support herself. She can easily be forced or manipulated into getting married to the wrong person. Many adults of rural areas disregard girls' wishes and dictate them into marriage. If married to someone, it becomes very challenging for a teenager to continue studies and doing duties of the new family at the same time. In most cases, the girls tend to give up their education before they can finish high school and rely on their husbands, no matter what the consequences they have to face. Should the government really give the lower-class more chance to increase illiteracy?
Infidelity is a common occurrence in the country. You may hear plenty of stories that end up in abandonment, suicide or death after being raped. Those who survive are damaged beyond repair and scarred forever.
As you may guess, I strongly oppose the idea of lowering marriage age for girls, and I pray and hope this proposed law does not go into motion. The proposed law has a great possibility of ending up in disaster and should be studied carefully. I think the government should not let anyone get married before the age of 18. We should not let our little girls go into a stranger's home before they become mature enough.
We may remember what Jostein Gaarder said, "A state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm."
The writer is studying GED, nawar.fairooz@gmail.com