Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide
Committee: UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides longterm humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. UNICEFs programs emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and wellbeing of children. UNICEF focuses specifically on child survival and development, education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS prevention, and advocacy for the rights, health, and protection of children. Unlike Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), UNICEF is an inter-governmental organization and is accountable to governments. The Executive Board is the governing body of UNICEF. It provides intergovernmental support and oversight to the organization, in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the United Nations General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. Statement of Problem UNICEF defines child marriage as a formal marriage or informal union in which one or both spouses are under age 18. In some situations, two young people will be married. In other situations, a girl is married to a much older man, sometimes two or three times her age. Although both boys and girls are affected by child marriage, girls are affected on a much larger scale. On average, only 5% of boys marry before they turn 19i, while UNICEF estimates that a third of women between the ages of 20 24 in the developing world were married as children. This practice is most

A young girl and boy are married in secret before a sacred fire in India. The young bride will live at home until puberty, when a second ceremony will transfer her to her husband.
Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/child-brides/sinclairphotography#/13-rajani-groom-sacred-fire-wedding-714.jpg

Non-governmental organization (NGO) an organization that is not part of the local, state, or federal government Child Marriage- the practice of wedding a child, typically under the age of 15, to an adult Exploitation- the selfish utilization of someone for profit or personal pleasure

Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

common in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Girls who marry early face many issues. Many stop attending school and become pregnant. There are many health risks associated with pregnancy before the age of 18, including low birth weight, physical and mental development issues for the baby, as well as mother and infant death. Additionally, child brides are often separated from their families and friends and are at a high risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation. Even though many organizations, including Girl Up and the United Nations, are working to stop child marriage, it is difficult to fully stop it. Many poor families simply cannot support all of their children, and they believe that they are helping their daughters by finding them older husbands who can help support them. Governments are often have difficulty enforcing existing laws about marriage age or are unable to resolve differences between national laws and cultural traditions. Background Every year, an estimated 10 million girls are married before they turn 18 years old.ii Child marriage happens around the world: 46% of girls under age 18 are married in subSaharan Africa; 38% in South Asia; 21% in Latin America; 18% in the Middle East and North Africa; and some communities in Europe and North America also practice child marriage.iii Wherever child marriage happens, it is a violation of basic human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.iv Consent cannot be free and full when one of the spouses is not mature enough to make her or his Percentage of girls that are married before ages 15 and 18 around the world. own informed choice about a Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/child_brides partner. In other words, if a parent or another adult decides who a child, sometimes as young as 10 years old, should marry, it is a violation of basic human rights. Every

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

country in world has an age when it is legal to marry. In most countries, this age is 18. Despite national and international laws, child marriage still happens. Poverty is a leading cause of child marriage. If a young girl is married, she is one less person to feed and clothe. Oftentimes, a girls family receives a dowry or bride price when she is married. This can come in the form of cash or cattle depending on the location. Sometimes girls are married to pay off debts or settle agreements between families. Child marriage is also propelled by cultural traditions. In some places, child marriage happens because it has always happened. Straying from tradition could mean exclusion from the community. Marriages can also be used to strengthen family alliances or settle feuds. Societies views of gender roles are another reason why child marriage continues to take place. In some parts of the world, women are primarily seen as wives and mothers and are often considered second class citizens. This gender inequality means the women and girls are often denied the right to make their own choices about their futures. Security is another reason for child marriage. In conflict areas, girls may be taken as brides by warlords or military leaders. Families will sometimes give away their daughters in exchange for protection. Natural disasters are another time when the rate of child marriage rises since parents look for ways to increase economic survival. The Impact on Children Physical Effects Child brides face a variety of adverse physical effects. Domestic violenceis common because young married girls have little power in relation to their husbands. They often do not have enough education to know how to stand up for themselves or about available resources. Many of these girls are separated from their families and peers, so they have limited social support networks to provide confidence and
Dowry- property or money brought from a bride to her husband on their marriage Domestic violence- violence or physical abuse directed at or towards ones spouse or domestic partner Nonformal education- education that takes place outside of the typical school setting

This 14 year old, married at age 12, lost her baby during childbirth. Hospital officials said it was because of her young age and the fact that she was malnourished during pregnancy. A hunger crisis in Niger has led to a rise in child marriage.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/in-niger-hunger-crisis -raises-fears-of-more-child-marriages/2012/07/09/gJQA8xD9YW_story.html

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

protection. They are also economically dependent on their husbands. Girls who marry early are more likely to believe that a man is sometimes justified in beating his wife more than women who marry later.v Child brides face a variety of health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and pregnancy complications. Child brides are more likely to contract HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases since they often lack the power to refuse unsafe sex. Child marriage means early sexual activity and, in most cases, early childbearing. Pregnancy and child birth during adolescence can be harmful to mother and baby. Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. Girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die.vi Babies of child brides are 60% more likely to die before their first birthday than the children of women over 19.vii Social and Emotional Effects Child marriage is associated with lower levels of education and poverty. Child brides are likely to drop out of school and have a difficult time returning to school after marriage. The burdens of maintaining a household and raising children prevent many young wives from attending formal and nonformal education programs. Social norms in many parts of the world view marriage and education as incompatible. Girls who marry young are more likely to be poor and remain poor. Girls are denied the training and the opportunity to find employment and earn their own incomes. The children of young, uneducated mothers are less likely to reach high levels of education, which continues the cycle of ignorance and poverty.

A group of young brides, most married between ages 14 and 16, in Yemen have never attended school. They told the photographer that they still hope for an education.
Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/child-brides/sinclairphotography#/06-west-yemen-young-brides-714.jpg

The greater impact of child marriage Child marriage impacts society as a whole, not just children. The International Center for Research on Women explains, Child marriage makes it harder for families, communities and countries to escape poverty. It erodes the health and well-being of girls and the overall welfare of communities. It also undercuts international efforts to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS1, improve child health and survival, and support other international development initiatives, making billions of development assistance dollars less effective. Child marriage brings high development costs since these marriages are more common in poor areas. These families also remain poor. Anju Malhotra, UNICEF Principal Advisor on Gender and Rights, states, Nations cannot become more democratic, economically prosperous or cultivate a strong

HIV/AIDS- human immunodeficiency (HIV) is a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It causes the immune system to shut down. It is spread by contact with infected bodily fluids.

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

labor force if 40 to 70 percent of young girls have slim chances at staying healthy, finishing their education or contributing to the political or economic fabric of their communities.viii What can be done about child marriage? Child marriage is outlawed in most countries around the world, and international agreements and conventions forbid the practice. However, the practice continues because of insufficient resources, minimal enforcement, and deeprooted cultural traditions. There is hope, though. Communities, governments, and international organizations can mobilize to work with families to end child marriage.
Berhane Hewan Berhane Hewan is a successful program in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Child marriage rates are among the highest in the world in this region. Half of the regions girls are married before they turn 15. Many families cannot afford to send their daughters to school so 45% of 15-19 year old girls are illiterate. Berhane Hewan began in 2005 and teaches girls literacy, life skills, health and HIV education, and how to save money. Families are given an incentive a $25 sheep or two hens to keep their girls unmarried and in school. Our parents did not have enough means to buy us educational

Governments can commit to ending materials; we did not get education. Our fate used to be being child marriage by building systems to married early. But since the project started this problem has prevent or discourage the practice. been solved. They can better enforce the set legal - Yideneku Chanie, 12-year-old Berhane Hewan participant age to marry (the majority of nations around the world have set the legal Sources: Global Giving. Berhane Hewan. marrying age for boys and girls at 18 http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/berhane-hewan-reducing-child-marriagein-ethiopia/ but some, like Mozambique, have set a legal age as young as 14.)ix Promoting UNF. First comes school, then comes marriage. birth and marriage registration will help http://www.unfoundation.org/who-we-are/impact/our-impact/empoweringenforce these laws. Addressing poverty will also help end child marriage. women-girls/population-council-unfpa-early-marriage.html Communities can work together to advocate for girls and open the discussion about marriage and motherhood. Education is crucial, since the more educated a girl is, the less likely she is to agree to be married at a young age. Girls can also learn life skills so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Health, counseling, and prevention services also must be prevalent to end child marriage. They can assist girls who run away from abusive relationships or from parents that force them into unwanted early marriages. Past international action The Universal Declaration of Human Rights specifically addresses marriage. No person may be forced to marry without consent.

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 and is known as the bill of rights for women. CEDAW outlaws all forced marriages and specifically declares that all marriages involving children are illegal: The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory. x Unfortunately, many laws on minimum marriage age and registration are poorly enforced. It is especially difficult to enforce these laws in rural areas. The only nations that have not ratified CEDAW are Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tonga, and the United States.xi The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted in 1989. Although the CRC does not specifically address child marriage, child marriage undermines a number of rights guaranteed by the CRC. Children have the right to life (Article 6), right to health (24), right to be protected from harmful practices (24), right to freedom from abuse and exploitation (19,34,39), right to education (24, 34, 39), and the right to participation (12,13,14,15).xii The only nations that have not ratified the CRC are Somalia and the United States.

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

Recommendations for Writing a Position Paper Position papers are usually one to one-and-a-half pages in length. Your position paper should begin with a brief introduction followed by a breakdown of your country's position on the topic. A good position paper will provide facts and also make proposals for resolutions. Bringing a copy of your position paper to the Model UN Conference is a great way to help you remember all your research and organize your thoughts for a speech during formal debate. Some things you might want to include in your position paper include:

A brief introduction to your country and its history concerning the topic and committee How the issue affects your country Your countrys policies on the issue and your countrys reasons for these policies Quotes from your countrys leaders about the issue Statistics to back up your countrys position on the issue; Actions taken by your government with regard to the issue; Conventions and resolutions that your country has signed or ratified; UN actions that your country supported or opposed; What your country believes should be done to address the issue; What your country would like to accomplish in the committees resolution; and How the positions of other countries affect your countrys position.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 1. According to your country, what are the main reasons behind child marriage and how can these be avoided? 2. What is your countrys attitude toward childhood? At what age is one an adult? 3. At what age can females legally marry? At what age can males legally marry? 4. It is internationally recognized that child marriage is harmful to children and society, yet it still happens. Why? 5. What strategies are most effective at changing behaviors that are already illegal? 6. What sort of aid programs does your country think the UN should provide for child brides?

International Planned Parenthood Federation. Ending child marriage: A guide for global policy action. http://www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/662_filename_endchildmarriage.pdf
ii

Girls Not Brides. Child Marriage: The facts. http://girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/

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Topic: Child Marriage

Background Guide

iii

Ibid. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

iv

International Center for Research on Women. Child Marriage Toolkit. http://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Child-Marriage-Toolkit.pdf

vi

Girls Not Brides. Child marriage: The facts. http://girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/ Ibid.

vii

viii

Trustlaw. Child marriage: Cultural right or global blight? http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/have-your-saychild-marriage-cultural-right-or-global-blight/

ix

Ford Foundation. Child marriage interactive map. http://www.fordfoundation.org/2011-annual/youthsexuality-and-rights/map/#/legal-age-of-marriage/Mozambique

x

CEDAW. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm#article16

xi

United Nations Treaty Collection. 8.Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en
xii

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

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