Child Marriage; 346 Births Registered by Mothers Under 15 Years Old in Spring of Current Year
According to statistics released by Iran’s Statistical Center, 346 infants were born to mothers under 15 years of age during the spring of the current year. This statistic for girls aged 15 to 19 years amounted to approximately 16,000 births. The physical and psychological harms resulting from child marriage inflict irreparable blows on girls’ lives, particularly pregnancies under age 18, maternal mortality, depression, and sometimes suicide attempts, alongside harms such as divorce, dropping out of school, and the persistence of cycles of cultural and economic poverty.
According to a report by Hrana citing ISNA, based on statistics released by Iran’s Statistical Center, 346 infants were born to mothers under 15 during the spring of the current year.
According to this report, this statistic for girls aged 15 to 19 years also amounted to approximately 16,000 births.
Child marriage, or child wedlock, in Iran has been increasing in recent years. Child rights activists say this phenomenon will negatively impact the health of Iranian families in the future.
The high rate of child marriages among those who marry before reaching intellectual and mental maturity reflects the prevalence of this phenomenon in Iran. The age of marriage in Iran is determined based on “sexual maturity,” while according to experts, sexual maturity is only part of the dimensions of complete human maturity. Development, awareness, education, and freedom of choice are the most fundamental and human conditions for forming a family.
The physical and psychological harms resulting from child marriage inflict irreparable blows on girls’ lives, particularly pregnancies under age 18, maternal mortality, depression, and sometimes suicide attempts, alongside harms such as divorce, dropping out of school, and the persistence of cycles of cultural and economic poverty.
