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Period: to
Child Marriages
1985: 63% of child marriages in south Asia.
2010: 45% of child marriages in South Asia -
Period: to
Girls under 15
1985: 32% of girls under 15 married in South Asia.
2010: 17% of girls under 15 married in South Asia. Link to the Handmaid´s tale: Pg. 202: “Even though some of them are no more than fourteen” (Talking about arranged marriages and child marriage) -
2018
2018: “A girl’s risk of marrying in childhood has declined by more than a third, from nearly 50 per cent a decade ago to 30 per cent today”(Unicef data brief) -
2019
“Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation -- raised the minimum marriage age for women from 16 to 19 without the approval of religious courts. But more than 33,000 child marriages were approved in the first half of 2020 alone, surpassing the 22,000 for all of 2019.”(Asia Nikkei) -
2020
2020: India: “Government data shows 785 child marriages in 2020 -- a 50% increase from the previous year and the highest in the last five years.”(Asia Nikkei) -
2022
2022: “UNICEF in March estimated that 10 million additional child marriages may occur before 2030, with school closures forecast to increase child marriages by 25% and mercenary marriages involving grooms from poor families with many children could increase 3%. The fund has projected that 100 million underage children would get married by 2030.”(Asia Nikkei) -
Asia
“South Asia has the highest rates of child marriage in the world. Almost half (45%) of all women aged 20-24 years reported being married before the age of 18. Almost one in five girls (17%) are married before the age of 15.” (Unicef)
Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in Asia (the fourth highest rate in the world). Nepal has also one the highest rates of child marriage in Asia for both boys and girls. 14 million girls under 18 marry every year globally (plan international) -
Reasons
“Studies show that child marriage is primarily prevalent in rural areas in countries with dowry norms" As the girl gets older, the price of her dowry goes. So poor families are torn between paying the cost of delaying the marriage vs. he cost of a higher dowry, " Nanda told DW. -
Reasons pt.2
She adds that the value of the girl is equated to the labor she can provide. Because most of her productivity and labor will be provided in the husband's home, families see no point in investing in a girl who brings them no productive value.”(DW)
"The problem is deep-rooted and starts with the value of the girl which is very low when compared to boys. It is this basic mindset that needs to be changed," Nanda told DW.(DW) -
Link to the Book
Pg. 202: “Even though some of them are no more than fourteen” (Talking about arranged marriages and child marriage) The context of this is Offred attending the prayvaganzas, where wive´s daughters, that were no older than fourteen, were getting married. This is exactly what the timeline is about, child marriages. "Pg. 202: Arranged marriages have always worked out just as well, if not better."
This links to the topic because these child marriages, are almost always, arranged marriages. -
Link to the Book pt.2
Pg. 203: "“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.” Here he looks us over. “All,” he repeats." This also happens during child marriage, women are under the control of the family´s decisions and the husband´s. They cannot decide if they want to marry or not.