UN fears millions of extra child marriages due to Corona crisis – radar
The Covid-19 pandemic complicates the global fight against child marriage. Indeed, the United Nations Population Fund fears a significant increase over the next decade.
“Child marriages are banned almost anywhere in the world, but 33,000 child marriages still take place every day, all over the world,” the report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) states. State of the world population 2020.
“An estimated 650 million girls and women who live today are married as children. By 2030, another 150 million girls under the age of 18 will be married.” They usually marry much older men.
SDG5
According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, including practices such as child and forced marriage and genital mutilation, must be stopped by 2030.SDG5).
There are known cases of parents swapping their daughter for a box of beer or liquor
Martha Canseco, women’s rights activist
A total ban on child marriage by 2030 seems unattainable. Covid-19 will even increase the number of child marriages again, the Population Fund fears. Covid slows down interventions, stops sexual and reproductive health services, and increases poverty. Thirteen million child marriages could be completed in the next decade as a result of the Corona crisis, study finds Study to which the annual report refers.
South america
This will have a particular impact in Latin America and the Caribbean, the only region in the world where the number of child marriages has not decreased in the last 25 years. One in four girls marries or moves in together before she turns 18. In some countries, this is as much as one in three.
For the UN, child marriage is any formal or informal obligation involving a person under the age of 18.
Unicef, the United Nations CHILD Agency, fears that the region will have the second highest number of child marriages by 2030; only sub-Saharan Africa will get worse.
“Fathers and mothers need to understand the importance of resisting these practices,” said Harold Robinson, UNFPA’s director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Robinson sees at least nineteen harmful practices, including virginity tests, fgm and preference for male children.
Combating the causes
Several countries have reformed their laws, but the figures show that much more is needed. As with other harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, the causes, especially gender inequality, need to be addressed, says UNFPA Director Natalia Kanem.
Laws make no sense if patriarchal structures remain intact
Martha Canseco, women’s rights activist
“In Mexico, the laws stipulate that girls and boys are not allowed to marry before the age of 18, but the same laws also require compliance with the customs of indigenous peoples,” says Martha Canseco, a women’s rights activist and president of the TV Independiente AC project in Pachuca, 90 kilometers from the Mexican capital. “In indigenous areas, it is a practice to marry girls at a very young age because they are an economic burden on mothers and fathers who want to delegate this responsibility to someone else. Of course, there is no guarantee that the daughter will be treated well.”
Rape
“Even in non-indigenous areas, the problem is structural,” says Canseco. ‘If a girl’s rapist is willing to marry her, it’s not considered a crime. There are cases where parents swap their daughter for a case of beer or liquor.” Canseco is convinced that “laws make no sense if the patriarchal structures remain intact”.
Child marriage has a variety of causes, including “poverty, marginalization, lack of opportunity, gender roles and stereotypes, disregard for sexual reproductive rights in girls and, of course, violence,” Canseco says.
Cuba
In Cuba, a family law is on the way, which means that extraordinary consent to marry girls from the age of 14 and boys from the age of 14 is no longer possible. But, as in Mexico, legal reform may not be enough.
“Girls here don’t get married,” says health activist Marielis D’az. “They will live with a man much older than them, they will give up their studies and have children. It’s something that’s natural, if you’re 19 years old and you’re still living alone or don’t have a child, you’re even getting criticism.’
“Health services now have their hands full dealing with the coronavirus, and for that you have to go to the city when there is no public transport. If it used to be difficult to get there, that’s certainly the case now.”
Child up to 18 years
D’az sees a link between teenage marriages and pregnancies and their limited developmental potential. One of the obstacles to a thorough approach is the social perception that childhood ends when puberty begins. It is contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines everyone under the age of 18 as a child.
According to the Population Fund, about 90% of young people in developing countries are married to girls. In other cases, births are the result of sexual relations preceded by a formal or informal obligation.
Double sexual morality
Among other things, the gender norms in one’s own family, the double sexual morality and the control of the sexuality of the girls force the young people in Latin America and the Caribbean to marry or live with an older man, to finish their studies and to give up independence.
In Cuba, where public education is compulsory until the age of 15, marriage is one of the three main causes of early school leaving, according to the Ministry of Education.
“Child marriages are banned almost anywhere in the world, but 33,000 child marriages still take place every day, all over the world,” the undeclared population fund (UNFPA) report says in its report on the state of the world’s population in 2020. An estimated 650 million girls and women who live today are married as children. By 2030, another 150 million girls under the age of 18 will be married.” They usually marry much older men. According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, including practices such as child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation (SDG5), must be stopped by 2030. A total ban on child marriage by 2030 seems unattainable. Covid-19 will even increase the number of child marriages again, the Population Fund fears. Covid slows down interventions, stops sexual and reproductive health services, and increases poverty. According to a study referred to in the annual report, 13 million child marriages could be added over the next ten years as a result of the coronary crisis. This will have a particular impact in Latin America and the Caribbean, the only region in the world where the number of child marriages has not decreased in the last 25 years. One in four girls marries or moves in together before she turns 18. In some countries, this is as much as one in three. For the UN, child marriage is any formal or informal obligation involving a person under the age of 18. Unicef, the United Nations CHILD Agency, fears that the region will have the second highest number of child marriages by 2030; Only sub-Saharan Africa will get worse.” Fathers and mothers need to understand the importance of resisting these practices,” says Harold Robinson, UNFPA Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Robinson sees at least nineteen harmful practices, including virginity tests, fgm and preference for male children. Several countries have reformed their laws, but the figures show that much more is needed. As with other harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, the main causes need to be addressed, especially gender inequality, says UNFPA Director Natalia Kanem. “In Mexico, the laws stipulate that girls and boys are not allowed to marry before the age of 18, but the same laws also require compliance with the customs of indigenous peoples,” says Martha Canseco, a women’s rights activist and chairwoman of the TV Independe project. , 90 kilometers from the Mexican capital. “In indigenous areas, it is a practice to marry girls at a very young age because they are an economic burden on mothers and fathers who delegate this responsibility to someone else.n want. Of course, there is no guarantee that the daughter will be treated well. The problem is also structural in non-indigenous areas,” says Canseco. ‘If a girl’s rapist is willing to marry her, it won’t be seen as a mals a good thing. There are cases where parents swap their daughter for a case of beer or liquor.” Canseco is convinced that “laws make no sense if the patriarchal structures remain intact”. Child marriage has a variety of causes, including “poverty, marginalization, lack of opportunity, gender roles and stereotypes, disregard for sexual reproductive rights among girls, and tremendous natural,” says Canseco.In Cuba, a family law is on the way that eliminates the extraordinary consent to marry girls from the age of 14 and boys from the age of 14. But just as in Mexico, legislative reform may not be enough.” Girls here don’t get married,” says health activist Marielis D’az. “They will live with a man much older than them, they will give up their studies and have children. It is something that is considered natural, those who live alone or do not have a child are even criticised. Health services now have their hands full dealing with the coronavirus, and you have to go to the city for it, while there is no public transport. If it used to be difficult to get there, that’s certainly the case today.” D’az sees a link between teenage marriages and pregnancies and their limited developmental potential. One of the obstacles to a thorough approach is the social perception that childhood ends when puberty begins. It is contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines everyone under the age of 18 as a child. According to the Population Fund, about 90% of young people in developing countries are married to girls. In other cases, births are the result of sexual relations preceded by a formal or informal obligation. Among other things, the gender norms in one’s own family, the double sexual morality and the control of the sexuality of the girls force the young people in Latin America and the Caribbean to marry or live with an older man, to finish their studies and to give up independence. In Cuba, where public education is compulsory until the age of 15, marriage is one of the three main causes of early school leaving, according to the Ministry of Education.