Child, Early and Forced Marriage and the Control of Sexuality and Reproduction The control of sex and sexuality Key Statistics are at the heart of marriage and About 15 million girls are married before age 18 every year. 1 thus early and child marriage. But child marriage programs for Child marriage is a key driver of adolescent childbearing: 90% of adolescent the most part do not talk about pregnancies in the developing world are to married girls.2 sexuality nor address it as a The second leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 is complications in means of ending the practice. pregnancy and childbirth;3 This must change. There are In a study in Kenya and Zambia among 15 to 19 year old girls who are many ways of tapping into sexually active, being married increased their chances of having HIV by sexuality, with its potential to more than 75%.4 open up conversations about other structural issues like Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to report intimate partner gender, caste, class and poverty. violence and forced sex than those married later.5 – Archana Dwivedi, Nirantar, In a study in northern Ethiopia, 81% of child brides interviewed described New Delhi, India their sexual initiation as forced.6 The problem who assess a girl in terms of the physi- children, as any of these situations could cal and reproductive labor she brings to bring shame upon a girl and her family. In The subjugation of women and girls takes the family. They generally do not believe some settings, armed combatants “marry” many forms. One of the most common, that a girl should have the right to make young girls as a weapon of war.8 These are unquestioned and lasting is the prac- decisions regarding sex or reproduction, legitimate concerns, particularly in times tice of child, early and forced marriage including whether and when to engage of increased insecurity and conflict.10 And (CEFM). Underlying the practice of CEFM in sexual activity, use contraception, or parents often respond to these fears by is the control of women and girls’ lives by access reproductive health services, as this directing their daughters’ sexuality and families and communities, particularly the will diminish the family’s power over her reproduction into child, early and forced control of their sexual and reproductive reproductive contributions. marriage. lives. Poverty has long been articulated The problem has deep roots The implications of the control as the foremost reason for CEFM but if Why are families so vested in the close of sexuality for other aspects poverty is the reason, why are boys not management of girls’ sexuality and sexual marrying as early as girls? Sexuality and of girls’ lives lives? More than any other group, girls’ gender are central concerns of early and identity and life choices are defined by The management of girls’ sexuality is a child marriage. Yet these issues have been expectations regarding their sexual roles source of great anxiety to their families sidelined. and behavior.7 The ‘proper’ management in many settings, and contributes to The social and cultural construction of these can often determine a young undermining many life choices for girls. of sexuality—and its explicit emphasis on woman’s success in life. In addition to driving child marriage, this subordination—determines if, when and Female sexuality shapes family honor anxiety can undermine girls’ mobility, whom girls marry, as well as many condi- in the eyes of parents and communities: weaken their families’ commitment to tions of marital life for girls and women. virginity for the unwed, and faithful, mo- girls’ schooling, impede their access to Decisions about sexuality, sexual re- nogamous childbearing for the married. health services, undermine their ability lationships and reproduction are some of The commodification of girls’ sexuality is to consent to sex, and limit their oppor- the most important that an individual can part of upholding this honor since a girl’s tunities for social engagement or work make, and determine many other aspects 11 virginity and reproductive capacity are opportunities outside the household. of a person’s life, including their living ar- exchanged between families.8 The shame Families worry about the risks—real and rangements, their access to resources, and that families want to avoid is sometimes imagined—that girls may face when they their roles inside the family and outside related to fear that their eventual business find themselves away from home or in it; yet CEFM prevents millions of women transaction will be compromised. Parents the presence of unrelated boys and men. and girls from making these decisions for often cite fear of premarital sex, expres- They worry that girls who seek out health themselves. In fact, marrying a girl simply sions of sexual autonomy, pregnancy out services may be assumed to be sexually transfers the control of her sexuality to of wedlock and sexual violence and ha- active, or as having some problem related others: fathers and other family members rassment as reasons for marrying girls as to their reproductive health. Some of their are replaced by husbands and in-laws, fears are realistic, but they also reflect the agreements, including UN resolutions and respect for girls’ and women’s rights preponderant, one-dimensional emphasis conventions, for guidance and mandates and ensure their skills and commitment placed on girls’ sexual and reproductive to do just this, from the Universal Dec- to equitable decisions in the household; roles to the neglect of other aspects of laration of Human Rights to July 2015’s ◆ Expand life-skills training in schools for their lives. Human Rights Council Resolution on the early adolescents, including negotiation practice. skills and understanding of rights and Addressing sexuality holistically responsibilities of husbands and wives How can addressing sexuality contribute under family law. We need to understand more about how to ending child, early and forced the social construction of sexuality shapes marriage? n Youth-friendly sexual and reproduc- all aspects of a person’s life. Our choices tive health services, without parental or are determined and constrained by cultur- Some examples of programs and poli- spousal consent stipulations, which are ally determined expectations and beliefs cies that address sexuality to end CEFM crucial for ensuring that women and girls about how our sexual lives should unfold include: are able to make informed and healthy and to what extent we should be involved n Work with women and girls themselves decisions about their sexual and reproduc- in deciding for ourselves. Promoting the to ensure they understand all their hu- tive health; rights of the individual requires these man rights, particularly their sexual and n Comprehensive sexuality education that decisions to be made with the informa- reproductive rights, and empower them to includes discussions of gender norms, tion, services and education necessary to make decisions about their lives, including rights, relationships and power dynamics, make sex and reproduction safe, pleasur- their sexuality and sexual and reproduc- and decision-making, and implemented able and at a time of one’s own choosing. tive health; And it requires inter-generational dialogue through school curricula and via informal and the development and reinforcement n Community-based programs that: education, for both boys and girls; of supportive community norms. ◆ Address concerns about safety and n Efforts to eliminate laws that permit Policies and programs that ensure mobility of girls, concerns that often marriages of children with parental or ju- that women and girls can make informed limit social networks, and end girls’ dicial consent or make no reference to the decisions about their lives and that work schooling; right to choice in marriage: these perpetu- systematically to break down gender ◆ Work to shift expectations about girls’ ate the notion that anyone other than the discrimination are crucial to ending CEFM and women’s school and work oppor- girl should have the right to control her and mitigating its negative consequences.11 tunities and their linkages with girls’ sexuality and reproduction or define age Governments and international organiza- reproductive and gender roles; of marriage as age at menses. tions can look to multiple international ◆ Work with men and boys to ensure their 1 UNICEF. 2014. Ending Child Mar- Case against Child and Adolescent Violence. https://www.icrw.org/files/ 10 Save the Children has published a riage - Progress and Prospects. New Marriage.” International Family Plan- images/Child-Marriage-Fact-Sheet- number of reports on this phenom- York, UNICEF. http://www.unicef. ning Perspectives 32 (2): 79–88. Domestic-Violence.pdf enon, e.g., on Syrian girls in Jordan: org/media/files/Child_Marriage_Re- 5 Speizer, IS and E Pearson. 2011. 6 Erulkar AS and E Muthengi. 2009. http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/ port_7_17_LR.pdf Association between Early Mar- Evaluation of Berhane Hewan: A Pro- cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0- 2 UNFPA. Motherhood in Childhood: riage and Intimate Partner Violence gram to Delay Child Marriage in Ru- df91d2eba74a%7D/TOO_YOUNG_ Facing the Challenge of Adolescent in India: A Focus on Youth from ral Ethiopia. http://www.guttmacher. TO_WED_REPORT_0714.PDF. Pregnancy. New York: UNICEF. Bihar and Rajasthan. J Interpers org/pubs/journals/3500609.html 11 Greene, ME, SM Perlson, and Child http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/ Violence. Jul 26(10):1963-81. http:// 7 Greene, ME, SM Perlson, and Child Marriage Research network. Forth- files/pub-pdf/EN-SWOP2013.pdf www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar- Marriage Research network. Forth- coming. The Centrality of Gender and 3 Patton, GC, C Coffey et al. 2009. ticles/PMC3741349/#!po=16.6667; coming. The Centrality of Gender and Sexuality to Understanding Child, “Global patterns of mortality in Rahman M, Hogue MA, Mostopfa Sexuality to Understanding Child, Early and Forced Marriage; AJWS.