The Prevention of Child Marriage - Case Study Example

What is the best way to prevent child marriage in Australia? By Author’s Name Name of the Class Name of the Professor Name of the School City, State 25 May, 2015 Introduction The essay discusses the prevention of child marriage as a form of violence in the Australian community. It argues that child marriage can best be prevented through primary community and individual welfare programs and legal measures. It moves to address the preventative strategy through community education and mobilization in sections arguing challenging of cultural norms, enhancing decision making space for girls/women and engaging men in campaigns to prevent and end the violence. Second is child focused welfare programs through education and accommodation shelters that safeguards their rights. Finally, the use of laws and their enforcement as a deterrent factor prior the conclusion. Community education and mobilization strategy against child marriage a. Challenging the cultural norms It will require efforts to change the underlying practices and social norms of the communities practicing child marriage in order to prevent it. The practice in most indigenous communities is often entrenched in their traditions, which despite their religion are passed down to consequent generations. It has been the norm of most practicing communities to give their children away for marriage at the ages of puberty. Unlike boys, the physical sexual maturity of girls’ bodies is often considered as a determinant for their readiness to marriage. However, this is psychologically not valid, because they are still vulnerable and incapable of comprehending the marriage agreement and possible consequences, especially to those under 14 years of age. It is confirmed that in traditional aboriginal society, gender inequality occurred in marriage ages between men and women, where most girls would be marriage off at the age of puberty compared to men as adults in their late 20s or more, taking girls as second wives, or inheritance from the deceased relative (ALRC 1986). It is also practiced by immigrants from Asian and African origin as a custom. Children, especially girls immersed in their traditions, grow up knowing they are would be married off at puberty. This is a backward tradition, which destroys a child’s will to achieve more, prevent opportunities and healthy childhood. The communities need o know that putting children in marriages treats their personal development and wellbeing as lesser important to those of adults or mature men marrying them. A girl child should be given equal opportunities to education and vocational trainings for skills development just like the male counterparts and allowed to mature into adulthood. Without which, they are forced into marriages without their legal and eligible consent to fulfil the oppressive traditions of their families or communities. Taken as the appropriate behaviour in communities’ traditions, the society need to know that it’s a false belief and that alternatives exist by focusing in education (schooling) or employment for those aged 13 and over (The state of Queensland 2012). Through such information, families and communities can be enlightened, evade or reject the custom and allow their children to attain legal age to make their own decisions over the marriage. Such initiatives seeking to change the social norm could help prevent child marriages by changing ages of marriages. b. Respecting girls’ decisions Transforming the decision making space for girls to have more say and their desires is suitable way to increasing their leverage in marriage decisions. Traditionally, men take the central figure to decide marriage rights and spouses for their children in marriage, without having to involve the mothers or the girl child been married off. They are considered dominant figures, whose decisions are unchallengeable in the families. It is a constructed hegemony of the males individuals based on their roles, sexuality and expressed masculinity deemed be stronger and superior over the females (Donaldson 1993).The female gender has struggled in past living in hegemonic societies that affirm notions of women’s inferiority, to campaign for equality and respect for women’s decisions both in the private and public domain. Through development community services women and girls are advised to engage in matters and decisions that affect them. Child marriages is among the traditional ways of violence against women enforced by the dominant male relatives to control girls/women in protection of the male, family or cultural honours (Tomsen 2009; Pringle et al. 2011). Men are encouraged to listen to their daughters’ decisions and give them opportunities to express their desires willingly. Therefore, minors are empowered to not only choose their spouses, but delay marriage till they freely decide to at the legal age. c. Campaigns engaging men Raising awareness to the greater community against child marriages and other female violence require adequate engagement of men as positive influences for change. Instead of considering all men as culprits of the crime, their collaboration in the campaigns would serve to educate other men of what they trade their young children for, in the early and forced marriages. It deviates from politicization of child marriage between men and women, and allows men against child marriage as advocates and activists to address other men to redefining gender, ending the violence against female gender and promoting equality in marriage decision making (Flood 2011). By allowing men into the campaigns, it becomes to conduct community debates, dissolve the patriarchal problem of male hegemony and control, educate their fellow men and spearhead change. Pease reveals the incorporation of men into the community educational programs through media campaigns NGOs and numerous government funded community programs as role models to influence change in attitudes of men towards women violence (2008). It encourages brothers and fathers to instead reject child marriage planned for their minor children and siblings to protect them. The discussions are efficient ways to also challenge the rationale of early child marriages among Australian communities. Child welfare a. Safeguarding rights through accommodation Children at risk of forced early marriages in Australia can escape the illegal act by been relocated to safe shelters. Where minors are pushed into marriage agreement by their guardians, their safety and care might also be at risk. Just because, they reject their chosen spouse at the first instance, does not mean some parents can settle with their decision. Some will go to greater lengths including plotting for the right season, timing and abduction, when the minor is unaware to have her (often girls) married off quietly. The safe shelters act to provide immediate safety and protection of the minors as escapees of forced marriages, whether before or after their rights are abused (Jaishankar & Ronel 2011). By been housed in the shelters, they get secure environment, which their determined guardian had failed to offer for their health, childhood and general wellbeing. Either the parent against the marriage can submit the child to the administration of a shelter home, or minors aware of their guardians’ plan can escape on their own to the shelter centres. Australian governments need to further invest and fund shelter facilities as part of the preventative program’s strategy to providing the abused children accommodation and their basic needs. The majority few of the existing shelter programs are run by NGOs and developing communities’ support organizations like good shepherd and Salvation Army’s safe homes in Australia. Such accommodation centres have really been effective in Africa, enabling hundreds of girl child in native communities from been forced into early marriage (John & Catherine 2014). Australia can use this strategy as social welfare program to offer safe havens for the minor girls, while preventing the perpetrators by denying them physical access to the child been coerced into marriage. b. Education to children and youths Educational programs both in the formal and informal sectors, especially over children’s health and rights are critical in prevention of child marriage. Focusing on the girl child, education is fundamental to enable them understand their potential to achieve greater opportunities to perform and develop in their communities. Most countries have so far targeted education sector to reach out to the youths, both boys and girls in primary and secondary school level. Therefore, as children grow up, other than their cultures, they are informed of the child marriage risks and how to respond when threatened. Carmody and Carrington (2000, p.17) state that educational programs to “reduce violence have been supported by government enquiries and task forces of Australian States, holding that exposing children and young adults to alternative messages promoting non violence, respect to diversity, difference and tolerance to others violent behaviour in adults would be prevented.” Education and early child marriage have a correlation. Each has an influence on the other. Early child marriages denies minors efficient access to education; their basic civil right in childhood. However, access to higher education is inversely proportional childhood marriage. Based on women’s research, the studies reveal that girls’ access to higher education facilitate delaying of their marriage until they are of age and can consent, which allow them to retain control of their lives, developmental affairs and effecting change in their respective communities (ICRW 2007). Through the educational system and home settings as age groups, minors are taught about their rights as children against the oppression by cultures and tradition of child marriage. Together with the life skills acquired through the non formal education in communities and religious functions, the minors acquire wider knowledge, and are sensitized on the ideal age of marriage with regard to the laws of the land. Australian governments need to incorporate more educational programs targeting the minors in its rural areas and among indigenous communities. Provided children (especially girls, whom are denied equal opportunities to boys) are well educated, risks of child marriages can be prevented in Australia. Prevention through tight laws and their enforcement The laws through criminal justice system remain a central and primary intervention strategy in responding to child marriage as a form sexual violence against minors. Unfortunately, it has solved few cases and prevented several minors from forced and early marriages. Majority of those whom have benefited are those within the urban areas and its outskirts, compared to those in rural and indigenous communities. According to Stubbs, majority of sexual assaults cases against women and girls go unreported, fail to reach the criminal justice system and are hence not prevented in time (2008). While the anti-child marriage legislations already exists in Australian, it is the role of the governments’ agencies and political representatives across states, regions and communities to inform their people of the law requirements, justice and criminal actions. Therefore, perpetrators (guardians, relatives and community leaders and sexual offenders) are cautioned from organizing or coercing child marriages, because of the expected punitive consequences. It is the responsibility of the governments, society, families and victims to utilise and practice the law. Most child marriages are carried out as secretes, often involving the two sets of parents practicing the culture or between the child bride’s parents and the adult groom. Children may be trafficked outside Australia for the marriage ceremony or conducted in the traditional setting to escape the public, media and legal attention (Criminal justice division, n,d). Since it’s an issue practiced in the private sphere, feminist activists propose a change in how the violence against female gender is addressed, urging that the laws be applied in the private domains (home settings) just as they were practiced in the public (Walkiate 2008). With laws already in place, strict enforcement through more anti- child marriage squad teams and agencies can assist in prevention. More cases can be reported and children protected, especially in the target communities. Tougher penalties for offenders and accomplices in child marriage can also act a deterrent for potential offenders (Maiden 2015). Conclusion There is no one best method to end child marriage in Australia, but can be possible through amalgamation of child and community focused welfare programs and the legal enforcement. It’s these efforts all together, which raise awareness, educate and regulate the members of the society (guardians, children, relatives and offender) from practicing child marriage in Australia. References ALRC 1986, ‘Recognition of Aboriginal Customary Laws (ALRC Report 31)’ viewed 27 may 2014, Carmody, M & Carrington, K 2000, 'Preventing sexual violence?', The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 341-61. Criminal justice division, n.d, ‘Discussion paper: Forced and servile marriage’, viewed 27 may 2014, Donaldson, M 1993, ‘What is Hegemonic Masculities?’ Theory and Society Special issues: Masculinity vol 22, no. 5, pp. 643-657, Flood, M 2011, ‘Involving men in efforts to end violence against women’, Men and masculinities vol 14, no.3, pp. 358-77 ICRW 2007, ‘How to End Child marriage: Action Strategies for Prevention and protection’, international centre for research on women, viewed 26 May 2015, Jaishankar, K & Ronel, N 2011, First International Conference of the South Asian Society [of] Criminology and Victimology, South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASCV) and Department of Criminology and criminal justice, Jaipur John, D & Catherine, T 2014, ‘Parliamentary Seminar on Combating Early and Forced Marriage’, 4 March, viewed 26 May 2015, Maiden, S. 2015. Australians Underage marriage laws to be tightened. 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