Legal Loopholes and Cultural Barriers: Why Child Marriage Still Existeven International Efforts
In spite of decades of campaigning and global commitment to the abolition of child marriage, the phenomenon is still widespread among millions of girls everywhere. Close to 12 million girls get married every year below the age of 18. Even with progress made, deeply entrenched legal and cultural hurdles still undermine efforts everywhere and continue to enable child marriage in the majority of societies.
The Legal Grey Zones
Marriage is prohibited under the age of 18 years on a national level in most countries, but legislative loopholes weaken these safeguards. For instance:
Parental Consent Loopholes: Children are married with parental or court consent even at very young ages of 13 or 14 in certain countries.
Traditional and Religious Laws: These seek to exist in parallel with local laws, particularly with traditional or rural societies, for the purposes of denouncing child marriage due to the illusion of tradition or religion.
Weak Enforcement: Even when child marriage is prohibited by law, weak law enforcement, corruption, or lack of birth registration systems allow families to easily bypass the law.
Cultural Norms and Societal Pressures
Apart from legislations, cultural values today still favor child marriage:
Maintaining ‘Family Honour’: Marriage at a young age in most societies is considered keeping a girl virgin and honour, and thereby family honour.
Poverty and Dowry: Poverty forces families to get their daughters married early in order to save money or gain profit through dowry fees.
Gender Inequality: If girls are less significant than boys, early marriage is their natural fate.
The Human Cost
Child marriage is not only a rights violation—it’s a developmental trauma. Married-off girls are generally:
Denied education
Abused by their intimate partners at home
Exposed to premature pregnancy with elevated infant and maternal mortality rates
Consigned to poverty and subordination
What Global Action Has Already Accomplished
There is hope. International standards such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 seek to end all forms of harmful practices, including child marriage. Governments, NGOs, and civil society activists have:
Improved school enrollment of girls
Improved child protection systems
Called for reform of laws and education of local elites
Conducted public campaigns that challenge harmful norms
They will fail, however, without political will and local leadership.
The Path Ahead
In the interest of preventing child marriage, interventions should be multi-dimensional
Close Legal Loopholes: Legalize 18 as the minimum age of marriage, no exceptions.
Empower Girls: Invest in girls’ education, health, and vocational skills.
Engage Communities: Mobilize religious leaders, parents, and opinion leaders to change cultural narratives.
Empower Survivors: Establish safe spaces and legal pathways for girls to exit or annul child marriages.
Conclusion: Child marriage is not just a culture-it’s a worldwide injustice that steals the futures of millions of girls worldwide. By confronting head-on legal loopholes and cultural obstacles, the world can finally put an end to the practice once and for all. The battle will have to be fearless, inclusive, and ceaseless-because every girl deserves to create her own destiny.
Add comment