Although arranged marriages, as well as child marriages, have seemingly completely disappeared from many developed countries, they are still quite prevalent in underdeveloped countries such as India. In fact, a new study recently conducted by the United Nations Population Fund or the UNFPA has revealed that nearly a third of all child brides come from India. What's worse is that the study also reveals that nearly half of all Indian women get married before they turn 18 years old.
"Adolescents (10-19 years) form 21 per cent of India's population, of which adolescent girls constitute 48 per cent (115 million)," said an official press release from the UNFPA. "Around 14 per cent of girls aged 15-19 years are illiterate, and 73 per cent never get to complete more than 10 years of school," their statement adds. These are primary reasons why this year's theme for World Population Day, "Investing in Teenage Girls," is highly relevant for Indian society.
One of the reasons why there are many child brides in India is poor reproductive health. The fact that a lot of adolescent Indian girls are marginalized means that they do not have access to reputable reproductive health, which makes them prone to being child brides at a very young age. A lack of sufficient education also means a lack of economic opportunities, which may result in to them being married off by their families for financial gain. There are even mass child bride marriage ceremonies in India, per reports from the Daily Mail.
These issues are still quite noticeable even though a lot of steps have been taken to lessen them according to a news article from Gulf News. The UNFPA's statement also cited their executive director Babatunde Osotimehin, stating that "leaders and communities must focus on and stand up for the human rights of the most marginalized teenage girls, particularly those who are poor, out of school, exploited, or subjected to harmful traditional practices, including child marriage."
