The Pros And Cons Of Underage Marriage

Throughout the world, one in nine girls enters an arranged marriage before age fifteen, which makes underage marriage a surprisingly common occurrence (UNFPA). Child marriage is a pandemic, and no organizations or governments have been successful in finding a permanent solution to the illegal marriages. Rather, in most developing countries and even highly advanced countries such as the United States of America, parents sanction the wedding of the underage brides. Half of all brides in India marry as girls, and India has some of the most severe age differences within the marriages (UNICEF). These illegal unions between adult men and underage girls should be and must be eradicated. Underage marriage invites the inevitable difficulty of the

Without proper sex education and the ability to advocate for themselves, child brides often have children prior to the prime age for childbearing. Because of their premature pregnancies, the girls are five times more likely to die during childbirth than an adult woman and also have an increased risk of pregnancy related injuries and complications (IWHC). In areas commonly associated with infectious diseases, pregnant youth become more likely to contract the illness because of their compromised immune system, which could ultimately lead to their demise (Nour). However, the mothers are not the only sufferers of young pregnancy. During gestation, the child oftentimes does not receive proper prenatal care, and adolescent mothers are more likely to experience preterm labor and give birth to a child with a low birth weight, thus causing infant mortality rates to increase when children are born to young mothers (Olausson, Cnattingius, & Haglund). India’s deep-rooted sexist credences discourage the pregnant adolescents from seeking prenatal care, safe abortions, or modern contraception. Women and children suffer on multiple levels, from postpartum depression to death during childbirth, and if the girls were able to safely advocate for themselves or become better educated on family planning, many unnecessary deaths and complications could be