Early marriage is another serious problem which many girls must
face. Giving away girls for marriage at the age of 11, 12 or 13 is widely
practiced among certain ethnic groups in Asia and Africa. Young girls are
less likely to have had sexual contact and thus are believed to be virgins
upon marriage. This serves to hike the amount of dowry which is to be
paid by the husband to the bride's family. 2 Early marriage robs a girl of
her childhood-time necessary to develop psychologically and physically.
In fact, it inflicts great emotional stress as the young woman is removed
from her parents'home to that of her husband and in-laws. Her husband,
who will invariably be many years her senior, will have little in common
with her. It is with this strange man that she has to develop an intimate
relationship both emotionally and physically. Furthermore,
pregnancy puts those child-brides'lives at great risk. Practically children
themselves, they are prone to difficult labor. Coupled with ineffective and
traditional delivery methods, obstructed labor can result in uterine rupture
which, in turn, could lead to severe hemorrhaging.
Also, babies of mothers younger than 18 tend to be born premature and have low body
weight. Such babies are more susceptible to illnesses and can easily
succumb to death. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that in most
communities throughout Africa food taboos have been imposed on
pregnant women and lactating mothers. These exclude from their diet
certain nutriments essential for the weli-being of the mothers, most of
whom have sutftred malnourishment since childhood,