UN on Wednesday revealed that in South Asia due to escalated financial burden on families and the closure of schools in the Covid-19 forced families to marry off their young daughters.
The Children’s Agency of the United Nations stated that there were around 290 child brides which account for 45% of the total global population. The agency has shown an urgent upsurge to end such practices in the South Asian region.
A region filled with diverse cultures, ethnic landscapes, and religious beliefs. The South Asian region is one of the oldest regions which has seen prominent civilizations and is soon the most populous region in the world. Whether trade, education, and governance, the region has fulfilled all the criteria to be rich in all the resources.
But with such diversity, it has also seen thrust in social evils like child marriage, and today no doubt it has become a matter of concern. Time and again young girls have fallen into the trap of family as there is no choice left but to get married as they are considered a burden for the family with a mindset that they eventually have to fulfill certain social stigmas related to the gender roles defined from the time unknown.
Child marriage hampers the opportunities for girls to study and economically build themselves, risking their health and well being resulting in troubled mental health at the same time a risk to their future.
The study of the agency also includes surveys over 16 locations in the country such as Bangladesh, India, and Nepal which showcases that parents of young daughters in the covid times have opted for their early marriage rather than giving them an environment to raise themselves.
The legal age of marriage for women in Nepal is 20, in India, it’s 18, in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Afghanistan and Pakistan it’s 16. The UN also states that during the pandemic many families were burdened with financial strains and in order to cut costs at home they got their young daughters married.
The discussions have been there to counter the problem of poverty, ensuring the right to education being practiced properly and securing the proper framework for law and order so that young girls are not the victims of early marriage.
