Child marriage is injurious to the health OF THE CHILD
Girls between 10 – 19 years face the risk of
- Obstetric Fistula (perineum perforates or tears and leaves holes between the bladder and vagina or rectum (Tebeu et al, 2012). The implication is uncontrolled urine and fecal matter leakages.
- Eclampsia (seizures or convulsion especially during pregnancy).
- Puerperal Endometritis (inflammation to the lining of the uterus). This usually comes with severe abdominal pains, difficulty in passing urine and feces, abdominal swellings and fever.
- Systemic infections including urinary tract infections. More to this, persons who marry young are often at greater risk of sexually transmitted diseases when the older spouse has more than one partner.
- Their babies are also at risk of being born prematurely, having low weight and severe neonatal conditions (WHO, 2022).
- Anemia: (most girls lack nutritious meals due to lack of income or lack of appetite leading to maternal hunger. Insufficient body iron of the adolescent being competed for by the unborn baby (Annan et al, 2021).
- Cesarean delivery characterizes most adolescent deliveries, thereby limiting number of births in future (Akella, 2014)
- Adolescent Maternal Mortality refers to deaths as a result of pregnancy and child delivery complications among adolescents.
NOTE:
Child marriage occurs when one or both of parties involved in marriage are below the age of 18yrs. It is mostly characterized by age gap difference. It can also be marriage/union between teen-age peers.