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RELEASE: Reducing child marriage will accelerate efforts to improve maternal health
Complications
in
pregnancy
and
childbirth
are
leading
cause
of
death
in
girls
aged
15-19
in
developing
countries;
90%
of
adolescent
pregnancies
are
to
girls
who
are
already
married
New
study
finds
that
a
10%
reduction
in
child
marriage
could
be
associated
with
a
70%
reduction
in
a
countrys
maternal
mortality
rates
Marriage
of
13
year-old
girl
sparks
outcry
in
Malaysia
Tuesday
28
May
2013
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Child
marriage
and
maternal
health
are
inextricably
linked.
Complications
in
pregnancy
and
childbirth
are
the
leading
cause
of
death
for
girls
aged
15-19
in
the
developing
world;
90%
of
births
to
adolescents
aged
15-19
take
place
within
marriage.
At
Women
Deliver
2013,
Girls
Not
Brides
will
emphasise
that
if
the
international
community
is
to
accelerate
improvements
in
the
health
of
women
and
girls
worldwide,
we
cannot
ignore
the
impact
of
child
marriage.
Child
marriage
encourages
the
initiation
of
sexual
activity
at
an
age
when
girls
bodies
are
still
developing
and
the
risks
of
pregnancy
and
childbirth
are
high.
Girls
who
give
birth
before
the
age
of
15
are
five
times
more
likely
to
die
in
childbirth
than
girls
in
their
20s.
Where
girls
survive
childbirth,
they
are
at
increased
risk
of
pregnancy-related
complications
and
injuries
such
as
obstetric
fistula:
65%
of
all
cases
of
fistula
occur
in
girls
under
the
age
of
18.
There
is
a
perception
that
somehow
marriage
protects
girls.
But
that
is
not
the
case;
it
simply
means
that
child
brides
fall
off
our
radar
and
that
the
sexual,
emotional
and
physical
burdens
they
face
are
ignored,
stated
Lakshmi
Sundaram,
Global
Coordinator
of
Girls
Not
Brides:
The
Global
Partnership
to
End
Child
Marriage.
Its
not
easy
to
talk
about
girls
being
child
wives
and
all
that
marriage
entails
for
them,
but
we
cant
shy
away
from
an
issue
when
it
has
such
an
impact
on
the
health
of
so
many
girls
and
women.
Child
brides
are
under
intense
social
pressure
to
prove
their
fertility,
which
makes
them
more
likely
to
experience
early
and
frequent
pregnancies.
They
know
little
about
their
bodies,
their
sexual
and
reproductive
health,
and
their
right
to
access
contraception.
There
has
been
little
recognition
to-date
of
the
unique
needs
of
child
brides,
who
are
vulnerable
and
often
isolated
from
mainstream
healthcare
services,
added
Lakshmi
Sundaram.
There
must
be
a
greater
effort
to
tailor
maternal
health
programmes
to
their
needs.
We
must
recognise,
for
example,
that
it
is
extremely
difficult
for
child
brides
to
assert
their
preferences
to
their
husbands,
particularly
when
it
comes
to
negotiating
safe
sexual
practices
and
the
use
of
family
planning.
Reducing
child
marriage
will
accelerate
efforts
to
reduce
maternal
mortality
If
we
address
child
marriage
and
its
underlying
consequences,
we
will
likely
see
significant
improvements
in
the
health
of
girls
and
women
and
a
reduction
in
maternal
deaths
globally.
A
new
study
by
Professor
Anita
Raj,
Department
of
Medicine
at
the
University
of
California,
San
Diego
School
of
Medicine,
and
Ulrike
Boehmer,
PhD,
Associate
Professor
at
the
Boston
University
School
of
Public
Health,
demonstrates
that
a
10
percent
reduction
in
girl
child
marriage
could
be
associated
with
at
70
percent
reduction
in
a
countrys
maternal
mortality
rate.*
The
study,
published
in
the
journal
Violence
Against
Women
this
month,
compared
maternal
and
child
health
indicators
with
girl
child
marriage
rates
for
97
nations
in
which
relevant
data
was
available.