EARLY MARRIAGE PRACTICE in the SOCIETY and CONSEQUENCES

Under normal circumstance, a child supposed to reach the age of maturity before getting married. Maturity in this regard encompasses the physical, emotional, psychological maturity among others. However, one ugly practice in many countries in the world today is 'early marriage', which is being encouraged by several factors, one of these being the associating 'bride price'. Bride price is the money that must be paid to the parents of the proposed wife by the proposed husband before marriage. In some countries, female children are considered as tickets for making money through 'bride price' thus making many parents to give out their female children out for marriage at a tender age.

In some countries, education of female children is considered as taboo. Those that believe in this school of thought are contending that western education would make female children to be proud and thus abandon their roles at the home setting. To these individuals, education of female child (ren) is a waste of funds.

In the school system in some countries, some male teachers subject female children to immoral sexual assaults. Many of these cases often result to premature pregnancy and eventual withdrawal from school. Many parents are thus afraid of allowing their daughter to stay in school for so long to avoid premature pregnancy and the shame that would be brought to the family.

Early marriage has some negative consequences. It encourages over population because many children are usually born through it, which cannot be catered for by available resources. Maternal mortality rate is increasing in the society due to this. Many of these immature female children are also not matured for pregnancy, particularly the associated labour and as such die during childbirth.