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Chiod marriage or chiod abuse?

Started by Dave, October 23, 2017, 09:26:40 PM

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Dave

I have just heard that there is no "definitive" minimum age for marriage in half of the states in America. One case of a girl forced into a legal marriage by her parents at age 11, having two kids by 13 and 6 by 16. They mostly cannot chose to get married themselves until 18 but parents can marry them off at younger ages.

Yet I have heard Americans calling Muslims and others barbaric for doing the same thing,

It seems there is a sort if movement trying to change this situation, but it seems pretty weak from the report on the BBC.

Kids can marry at 16 in the UK with parental consent, at 18 without. Sex below 16 is legally a crime, though the law does tend to turn a blind eye on connsensual sex between those of the same age unless there are other issues.





Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

xSilverPhinx

Last Saturday I attended a lecture on mother-child bonding and the lecturer brought up a study she performed in which she interviewed a population of young mothers. I was shocked when she mentioned that the youngest mother in their study was only 10 years old, and while the lecturer didn't go into too many details on the circumstances surrounding the child's pregnancy or her socioeconomic level, apparently it was planned and not accidental.

I thought such a thing was absurd.

IMO child marriage is child abuse, even if there is consent (even if you could consider a child's consent valid, which is a whole other discussion). For girls in the early ages of puberty the reproductive system is still not fully developed, for both boys and girls (though more for boys) up until past their late teenage/young adult years most are unable to appreciate the full consequences of their actions. Based on data from the aforementioned interviews, most teenage pregnancies in the population they studied had planned their pregnancies for a variety of reasons: friends were getting pregnant so they wanted to as well, they idealised motherhood etc., etc. Accidental pregnancies were less common. A bit unlike what we're told, that most teenage pregnancies are unplanned. 

Another aspect is that child marriage can effectively annul what is considered a normal, healthy childhood. While probably a right in the modern western world, childhood, as the developmental ages in which a young human being should learn, without having to work or breed, is a recent invention. However, just because it's what the ancients did doesn't mean that it should continue.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Sandra Craft

It's my understanding that marriage below the age of 16 requires not only the parents approval, but a judge's permission.  The problem is there are places where that's not hard to come by, esp. if the adults involved are all members of the same religious group or the parents' reason for marrying off their minor daughter (and it is always a daughter) is to prevent pre-marital sex.

Edited because I googled it for better info:  Age of Consent by State
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Pasta Chick

Define "marriage" as well.

A lot of the communities doing this in the US are very isolated. They deliberately distance themselves from society as a whole and attempt to self govern. In many cases government recognition is neither needed nor wanted, and marriage is strictly the business of the church. Child brides, multiple brides, it's all good.

Most Americans would have a problem with it, except they don't really believe it. The Duggars still have a huge fan base of defenders even after covering up their son molesting more than one of his sisters on multiple occasions.

Dave

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on October 23, 2017, 11:17:04 PM
It's my understanding that marriage below the age of 16 requires not only the parents approval, but a judge's permission.  The problem is there are places where that's not hard to come by, esp. if the adults involved are all members of the same religious group or the parents' reason for marrying off their minor daughter (and it is always a daughter) is to prevent pre-marital sex.

Edited because I googled it for better info:  Age of Consent by State

Yes, I espected a little "editorial influence" on the facts in the report, but it still seems to inficate that child msrriage is, effectively, condined by the suthotities - yet also condemned by some agencies in others.

Hints there at religious moralising trumping the needs of the kids.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Pasta Chick on October 24, 2017, 02:45:13 AM
Define "marriage" as well.

A lot of the communities doing this in the US are very isolated. They deliberately distance themselves from society as a whole and attempt to self govern. In many cases government recognition is neither needed nor wanted, and marriage is strictly the business of the church. Child brides, multiple brides, it's all good.

I think that would fall under the category of common law marriage, which I noticed some states recognize and some don't.  Altho not mentioned on the list, I've been told CA does not, which shocks me.

QuoteMost Americans would have a problem with it, except they don't really believe it. The Duggars still have a huge fan base of defenders even after covering up their son molesting more than one of his sisters on multiple occasions.

Yeah, I do not get that at all.  My stepmother is one of the people who still admires the Duggars despite this "slip" on the son's part.  To me, the incest looks more like a feature than a bug but what do I know.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Bad Penny II

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 23, 2017, 10:35:09 PM

IMO child marriage is child abuse,

No, not any longer
I used to be the Pope
I'm putting on the hat
and I'm declaring that
it's an objective fact
God said I can do that.
Take my advice, don't listen to me.