Because She is a Girl

Bhumika Ghimire and Anuja Upadhyay

Ideally shouldn’t marriages be a cause of celebration universally? But can it be so when the bride involved is a girl child?

Millions of children (especially girls) throughout South Asia, Africa and Middle East are affected by early marriages resulting in high rate of maternal mortality as a result of it. Poverty is one of the main causes of early marriage in many developing countries. Usually young girls are married off at a very early age and moreover to much older men.

Lack of awareness, missed educational opportunity, harmful cultural beliefs and practices, gender discrimination- are all causes of early marriages amongst girls. Poor families do it in order to settle debts, make money or escape poverty. The girls are sold not only into marriages but also into prostitution-also making them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Nepal is one of the leading countries in the South Asia region for early marriage practices after Bangladesh. According to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), 51% of Nepalis marry before reaching adulthood. Early marriage is a problem plaguing villages across the country. The practice is not uncommon even in some urban areas. The fact that more than half of the population are married as children shows that years of campaigning and millions of rupees spent on ending this appalling practice has not been as effective as envisaged.

Culture plays a significant role in early marriage. Great emphasis is laid on chastity of a girl in the Nepali culture. Parents would like their daughters to be married off early so that there is very little chance of her causing dishonor to the family by marrying the wrong man or into the wrong caste. A daughter is also considered a liability and an economic burden in many rural areas as well as some urban areas in the country. She is made to work in her parents’ house from a very young age and when they can no longer afford to take care of her they marry her off.

Early marriage has serious health consequences for young girls. Sometimes the girls are too young to know what marriage entails and enter into matrimony, totally unaware about sexual relationships, safe sex and maternal health. Early motherhood results in maternal health problems such as abortion related problems, still births, prolapsed uterus, hemorrhages and fistula.

Most of these young girls are less likely to complete their educated when they are married  so their awareness and decision making power is negligible when it comes to health care, safe sex, household budgets, etc. And family red-tapism seriously hampers decision making and can be a stumbling block as authority always rests in the hands of the husband or in laws.

According to British charity Oxfam, the mortality rate of 229 per 100,000 live births (2010 estimate) is still very high and only 28% of deliveries are preformed in hospitals or health centers. Among the 229 mothers who die giving birth, many are young girls, with no means or ways to access maternal care resources. However, an improvement in this direction is that since 1996 the maternal mortality rate in Nepal has been reduced by 50%. Indeed, this is a giant leap for a country considering the challenges posed by social and infrastructure hurdles.

Health infrastructure in the country, outside the urban areas, however is still very rudimentary. People are forced to travel to nearby cities, district headquarters or to the Capital(Kathmandu) if they need specialized care. Lack of equipment and funds is compounded by the fact that many skilled health professionals are unwilling or unable to work in rural areas. This care vacuum at the local level puts young mothers and their babies at considerable risk.

Mental health is something which these girls or their families are totally unaware about. Many times it is a subject of taboo. The process of child bearing for these young girls begins even before they are emotionally and physically developed to handle the complexities of marriage. This contributes to a series of negative consequences. It impacts their minds and stunts their overall personality growth. Early motherhood results in maternal health problems as well as psychological problems for these young girls.  Even though a large number of young boys are forced to marry early, patriarchy puts the young bride at a more disadvantaged position. A girl child married at an early age is most likely to miss out on education and gainful employment opportunities outside her home. This creates a vicious cycle of dependence and deprivation. Early motherhood-with its physical and emotional demands, pushes the girls into a more vulnerable position.

Partners in Health says that a paltry 0.8% of Nepal’s total health budget is spent on mental health. There is only one public psychiatric hospital in the country and that too in Kathmandu, and there is only one psychiatrist per million people. For majority of Nepalis, mental health resources thus remain hopelessly out of reach. For young mothers dealing with stress of early motherhood this is yet another vacuum to deal with.

Along with the toll on their physical health, early motherhood is also disastrous to the girl’s emotional health. Recognizing psychological issues post birth and during pregnancy are very much a standard practice in the industrialized nations, but in Nepal the psychological health of young mothers is not prioritized. This falls in line with the general attitude of dismissive ignorance towards mental health issues.

Is this all  happening because she is a girl child? The future of Nepali girls caught in this cycle of deprivation and degradation limits their life and its possibilities. How can a country move ahead when one half is being pushed behind like this?

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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