Marriage under maturity age is another problem in opposition to women; according to statistics most of underage marriages take place in rural/countryside. The main reasons people get underage marriages are unawareness of people, poverty, illiteracy and prevailing traditions and customs that are deemed obscene, it is said that most of underage marriages are obliged on girls but according to social and health experts underage marriage make problems for girls, their family and community.
They believe that underage marriage cause death, sterilization, mental disease, staying away from education and cause many other social problems in result.
Afghanistan has the world’s highest maternal mortality, and lack of physical power is said the only reason during giving birth. According to World Health Organization studies the risk of death for girls less than 15 years at the birth is 5 times that of women who take birth at the age of 20.
Article 70 in civil law predicted marriage age 18 for males and for females 16 years and article 71 say that if she didn’t complete 16 years her marriage should take place by permission of her father or authoritative court of justice but the second paragraph of article 71 in civil law say that marriage with a girl who under the age of 15 is impossible in any way.
Human rights and civil society experts predicted marriage age for girls and boys 18 years, the law prohibits violations have been told that underage marriage is violation against women and article 28 of this law say that marriage with girls under 18 years is violation and the perpetrator should be imprisonment which should not be less than 2 years and the marriage will be canceled if the women wanted.
Institutions of international community say that bad customs should be eradicated and public awareness should be raised in order to prevent underage marriage. Marriage registration is the best even it stamp out this phenomena, because presence of husband, wife, witnesses and affirmation and acceptance are necessary during marriage registration. We have performed an interview with Dr Shahla Wardak (Dr in Medica Afghanistant Organization) in order to determine cause and effects of underage marriages that draw your attention to it:
Ques: At first I want to ask that what kind of marriage is underage marriage?
Ans: It is clear that underage marriage is a marriage which takes place before 18 years, I want to say that this issue is not only related to menstruation (monthly period) but a girl should be prepared physically, psychologically and mentally for marriage.
Ques: What is the outcome of underage marriage for girls or for pregnant women in general?
Ans: Adverse consequences of underage marriage have many dimensions; the outcome can include health, physical, social and psychological parts that have very negative effects on girls who get underage marriage. Pregnant mother in this age are caused to face health problems, disability and even death during giving birth or they are caused to give birth to disabled kid, meanwhile those who get underage marriage can’t follow education, prefer separation and tolerate many other problems.
From other side these women face disease named EKMASIA and PREGMASIA which we call them high pressure, swell in hands and other parts of the body and it cause urine obstruction/stoppage and other disease among girls, and the next problem is this that when girls face these problems in this age due to their age, understanding and a bad custom we have they can’t share their problems with their relatives and family members and this causes their sickness to reached the maximum point which cause death of mother or her children during giving birth.
Ques: you have pointed some health problems for those get underage marriage, but what are the effects of underage marriage on education of these girls?
Ques: According to researches, most of these girls are related to illiterate families and these children don’t have literacy too, but if they still have some literacy, they can’t continue going to educational centers after she got married because their family (husband) and other problems that she has at home don’t let her to continue education, and the words are true which they hear: you were to get married or study, therefore they can’t continue their education.
Ques: What will be the outcome of underage marriage for future of healthy family?
Ans: Aim of a marriage is making a harmless family, in order to make harmless family, a harmless, educated, healthy and …. groom is needed, but when we talk about underage marriage, it means that a child is getting married; the one who is far from education and this child will face many challenging problems in the life but all these cause making a harmful family as result.
From other side such marriage has no good future, for example: a girl is getting married before maturity age, but she can give birth due to health problems and relatives of her husband force, despise and insult her everyday and the child become hatred and want self-immolation and suicide.
Ques: What are reasons of underage marriage in the country?
Ans: First, unlike Islam, the birth of girls is known as disdain and shame in the community the second is poverty; second, economic problems cause people to bring up their children like material in order to sell them for money in future or marry their son in exchange, meanwhile illiteracy make another major cause of underage marriage because the families and the majority of our people are not aware one and other rights.
Ques: Is there any link between forced marriage and underage marriage?
Ans: I must say about forced marriage and underage marriage that these two have relationship with each other in some cases, for example: A girl under the age of puberty is called that if she doesn’t get married, what would her father do to economic problems? While this girl doesn’t like to marry this boy, such marriages are forced and underage marriage; but forced marriage are those that the girl has completed maturity age and doesn’t want to marry the person, but due to some specific reasons she is forced to get married, and forcing a younger to get married is cruelty/injustice.
Ques: How is it possible to prevent forced marriage and underage marriage?
Ans: Economical problem and illiteracy are two major reasons of underage marriage and forced marriage, if awareness/knowledge level of a family is high and know harms of underage and forced marriages, they will never let their children to get married before puberty, second economics caused girls to be forced to get married, therefore if a family doesn’t have economical problems, its possible to prohibit underage marriage, meanwhile the next thing which can put off underage marriage is raising public awareness of community that cooperation of media especially visual and audio media is very helpful and efficient regarding this issue.
Ques: As you know, marriage age for boys specified 18 and for girls 16 year in civil law, it’s in case that our country have high rate of underage marriage, so what are main reasons of underage marriage?
Ans: We do have laws, but the problem is implementation of them, because those who execute law are rule violator themselves, and the next problems is illiteracy and not knowing of this that what has been said in rules for facilities of livelihood.
Ques: What age is suitable for both boy and girls to get married?
Ans: I mentioned before that maturity is not enough for getting married, and both boys and girls should be ready health wise, socially and psychologically for marriage, when these issues are solved, girls can have a delight marriage live in future.
Ques: From view point of you, to what rate marriage registration can prohibit underage marriage and affects consequences of it?
Ans: Marriage registration is 100% efficient because presence of couple, witnesses and handing correct document is necessary in the court therefore their marriage will be canceled if the girl is less than maturity age, so underage marriage will be prevented itself. From other side marriage registration is effective if it turn out to be official and people and make people to register their marriage cheerfully; like getting ID card (Tazkira) for admission of schools.
Ques: Afghanistan is an Islamic country, how do you evaluate Islamic law on the subject of this issue?
Ans: I should say unfortunately that we don’t have any problem with laws, if it’s Islamic or non Islamic, I wish all laws in the country were Islamic. There is nothing contradictory with legal marriage in Islam, it is said in Islam that marriage should not take place before maturity age.
Ques: It is clear that Afghanistan have high rate of mother mortality, what are the effects of underage marriages on these figures/statistics?
Ans: Underage marriages statistics are categorized to three parts according to a survey of Women Research Institute in some provinces, the first is families with good economics, the second is families with average economics and the third one is families with low economic situation that underage marriages take place 1.5% in the age of 10 years, 0.5% in the age of 11 years, 8.4% in the age of 12 years, 29.4% in the age of 13 years, 36.6% in the age of 14 years and 27.6% in the age of 15 years; in total there was 100% sacrifice along with these marriages.
Ques: Law on eradication of violence has specified age of marriage and it has considered punishment for the perpetrators, from view point of you, how much will underage marriages decrease if these laws are executed?
Ans: If these laws are implemented and awareness is raised among society, mortality and disability of mothers will decrease extraordinary.
Ques: As mentioned underage marriages have adverse impact and unawareness of people is one of these reasons, how you evaluate role of religion scholars in villages and country sides?
Ans: It is clear that religion scholars have good position in the country and people respect speech of them a lot, therefore it will affect people a lot regarding this issue.
Ques: What have Medica organization carried out regarding underage marriage?
Ans: As mentioned Medica work in different fields for women, the effective activity Medica did regarding underage marriage was marriage registration campaign, meanwhile we met Mullah Imams of all provinces that they promised to cooperate us regarding this issue.
Thank you and audiences
