Child marriage in Europe

The effect goes far beyond denying them the basic right to choose their own life partner – complications from early and unwanted pregnancies are among the leading causes of death for girls aged 15–19 years worldwide. Marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of human rights.

Officials have certainly made promises that ending child marriage is a high priority, but unfortunately solutions to the problem, a nascent one for Europe, are still elusive. Child marriage forces girls to drop out of school, limits their opportunities, and traps them in poverty, experts say.

Child marriage by abduction or forced union between cousins is a deeply-rooted cultural practice in Ethiopia. Child marriage disproportionately affects girls, with a life-long impact on their physical and psychological health. Image copyright AFP Image caption Campaigners say child marriage often means forced marriage Should a 14-year-old married girl who migrates to Europe be viewed as a child - … And yet, at least 117 countries around the world allow it to happen, according to the Pew Research Center . The Western European marriage pattern is a family and demographic pattern that is marked by comparatively late marriage (in the middle twenties), especially for women, with a generally small age difference between the spouses, a significant proportion of women who remain unmarried, and the establishment of a neolocal household after the couple has married. As a result, one in every five girls is married before they turn 18. STOCKHOLM — A row over how to deal with child marriage among immigrants has inflamed political debate ahead of a general election in Sweden, where migration continues to divide public opinion and the far right is riding high in the polls. This should be the standard," she said. The UN Sustainable Development Goals of 2015 aim to end child marriage — but many European countries weren’t prepared for the problem to land on their doorstep. It damages social and economic development and leads to a cycle of poverty between generations. The same is true for Central and Eastern Europe where the rate of this practice is at 14%. "This report provides a brief overview of child marriage in the following countries and territories: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo (UNSC 1244),2 the Kyrgyz Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, estimates more than 650 million women alive today were married before the age of 18. This article takes a look at which regions of the world have the highest participation rates in child marriage. Just 12% of married girls between the ages of 15 and 19 attend school, compared to the 60% of unwed girls the same age in school, according to Girls Not Brides . It also raises the risk of domestic abuse, rape, and serious childbirth complications. But child marriage also hurts countries’ economies. Child marriage is a global issue and found on nearly every continent though some places have a higher prevalence than others. "We really want other countries in Europe to copy this law. Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide ‘protection’, family honor, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a country’s civil registration system. Civil marriage is a legal status recognised in all EU countries.. Partnerships such as civil unions and registered partnerships, or de facto unions apply different rules to those used for marriage.. National rules and practice for marriage differ from one country to another, mainly with regard to:. In 2016, another 5.6 million girls under the age of 18 become child brides.