Worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. This is 28 girls every minute. One in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching age 18.
An estimated 22 million people were living in forced marriage on any given day in 2021. This indicates an increase of 6.6 million since the 2016 global estimates.
Forced marriage is not limited to any particular cultural group, religion or ethnicity, and there are reports of forced marriage from all over the world. Plan International estimates that 14 million girls under the age of 18 marry each year.
However, more than half of the women forced into marriages were below 18 years, of which 24 percent were 15 years or less.
Forced marriage can involve a range of criminal offences and there is now a specific criminal offence of forced marriage. You can also get legal protection from forced marriage in the civil courts.
In some U.S. states, forced marriage is a crime, and in all U.S. states, people who force someone to marry may be charged with violating state laws, including those against domestic violence, child abuse, rape, assault, kidnapping, threats of violence, stalking, or coercion.
Commitment in a marriage gives a dimension of security, a pad, which empowers you to go out on a limb; on the off chance that one or both the two partners have all mental energy invested anywhere but here, the relationship can never be as satisfying as they may need it to be.
However, there are still cases of forced and early marriage in more affluent North American and European countries. Forced marriage can be coupled with other forms of slavery. Children who are trafficked for sex may also be sold into forced marriages.
Remember, virginity and chastity are not the only measures to base a happy marriage on, honesty and trust are far more important traits that both partners should possess.
Niger. Forced marriage is common in Niger. Niger has the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world; and also the highest total fertility rate. Girls who attempt to leave forced marriages are most often rejected by their families and are often forced to enter prostitution in order to survive.
In one study, married couples were asked if they regretted it on the very day that they got married, and one out of every 11 of them said that they did.
2. Risks. One serious consequence of forced marriage is the increased likelihood of domestic violence and abuse and sexual abuse. Anyone forced into marriage faces an increased risk of rape and sexual abuse as they may not wish to consent, or may not be the legal age to consent to a sexual relationship.
Men are more likely than women to have never been married (23% vs. 17% in 2012). And this gender gap has widened since 1960, when 10% of men ages 25 and older and 8% of women of the same age had never married.
Anyone can be a victim of forced marriage, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation. While men and boys can be victims of forced marriage, most reported victims are young women and girls.
There Are Now 130.6 Million Unmarried Americans and 85.4 Million Have Never Been Married.
In the U.S., while the divorce rate hovers around 40 or 50 percent, the divorce rate for arranged marriages is 4 percent. In India, where some estimate that 90 percent of marriages are arranged, the divorce rate is only 1 percent.
In the State of Texas minors under the age of 16 can marry with a judge's approval. Minors aged 16 and 17 can be married with parental consent and do not even have to be present to be married away by their parents. Most of these minors, who have not been emancipated, lack the same legal rights as an adult.
Modern slavery, as defined for the purpose of the global estimates, is comprised of two principal components – forced labour and forced marriage. Both refer to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or cannot leave because of threats, violence, deception, abuse of power or other forms of coercion. .
Common psychological effects of forced marriage are feelings of depressed mood, irritability, low self-esteem, rage and frustration, sleep problems, difficulty in forming relationships and difficulty trusting others.
Forced marriage is also recognized by the International Labor Organization as a form of modern slavery. In Unchained's experience, forced marriage often means a lifetime of rape, abuse and domestic servitude, and the loss of reproductive rights, financial rights and basic human rights.
Forced marriage is prohibited and punishable under the terms established by law (Constitution, article 19).
Dr. Fisher believes that marriages that take place when the couple is in their late 20s to mid 30s are most successful. "By the time we are getting to the late 20s we have a clear sense of who we are and what we want out of life," he explains.
Unconditional Love
Back to that thing called love. It's the primary reason why men get married. In fact, in a survey conducted by Pew Research, 93 percent of married people (both men and women) said love was the reason why they got married, and 84 percent of unmarried people want to marry because of love.
After marriage, men work more, spend less time with friends, and are expected to take care of others. Men have an inner view that after marriage — but not before — their partners have the right to tell them what to do. And this could be one of the overwhelming reasons why men don't want to get married.