Child and forced marriage as violation of women's rights, and responses by member states in Southern African Development Community

Early Marriage in Jebres Sub District of Surakarta City

“…To change such the culture, a process is likely required by means of affecting their culture through education, mobilization, and law or policy. Education and mobilization should walk along with law (Rembe, et al, 2011). Atim (2017) suggests that early marriage exerts in-depth physical, intellectual, psychological, and emotional effect, even removes the girls' opportunity of getting education and growing; in addition, they must deliver baby prematurely and those effects will likely occur in a lifetime.…”

“Ukuthwala” The Sexual- Cultural Practice with Negative Effects on the Personality of Adolescent Females in Africa

“…Although child marriage is sometimes believed to be a protective mechanism from the spread of HIV/AIDS, the truth is that early marriage can increase young girls' risks of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The girl may not enjoy sex nor negotiate the use of condoms to prevent STIs such as gonorrhoea, syphilis including HIV/AIDS because it is against her will to engage in sexual intercourse (Rembe et al, 2011;Walker, 2012). According to Comer (2013) the psychological effect of lacking interest in sex is called hypoactive sexual desire disorder.…”

“…In communities which still uphold that food such as eggs, liver, kidneys and certain vegetables contributes to sexual prowess or increases sexual libido, pregnant women are not allowed to eat them. These communities are prevalent in countries including Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania (Rembe et al, 2011). Since these foods have nutritional value, children may be born underdeveloped mentally and physically.…”

“…In most cases, the abducted girls are raped soon after they have been taken to the abductors' houses and that contributes to avoidance of returning to the parents' homes (Thomas, 2009). Rembe et al, (2011) found that in some cases, girls stay in these empty and unfulfilling forced marriages because they have been threatened that they will experience misfortune should they run away. Supporting this is Maphanga (2011), who quoted a young man she interviewed regarding ukuthwala in South Africa saying "As long as l have broken her virginity she will learn to love me, if she does not, l will force her to love me.…”

“…In Rwanda, the abductor may ask the brides' parents to forgive him for abducting the daughter and offer a cow, money or other goods as a sign of restitution to his brides' family after the disappearance of their daughter (Dube, 2006). Rembe, Chabaya Wadesango and Muhuro (2011) argue that in many traditional settings, poor families use the early marriage of daughters as a strategy for reducing their own economic vulnerability, shifting the economic burden ISSN 2039-9340 (print) Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy Vol 5 No 20 September 2014 2809 related to a daughter's care to the husband's family. It becomes worse in Zimbabwe, where parents are the one arranging "kuzvarira"marriage between their daughters and old men.…”