Child marriage

Child marriage was and still is another marriage form within the Xhosa culture which brings about much concern. In the past and in many rural places with South Africa and the world, the girls who enter such marriages may be even as young as eight years old or even nine years old (Silva-de-Alwis, 2008). This in terms is an issue as there many disadvantages which are associated with child marriages such as miscarriages.

This marriage type caught my attention as throughout history and the modern day, large numbers of young girls are forced into entering such marriages. Regardless of child laws and children’s rights which are I place, however millions of girls still fall through the cracks and in many cases it is their own parents who push them through the cracks. (Anon., 2018) (South African Abductions: young girls forced into marriage, n.d.)

 To further tie this issue to the report is the fact that in some cases these young girls entered these marriages as a result of abduction.  Hence when the report addresses child marriages, it is referring to any marriage which has occurred involving persons or a person under the age of 18.

Figure 1 Human rights brief. #ChildNotBride protest. [ONLINE]^[1]