Markazi Province: 109 girls under 15 years of age married in six months and 109 pregnancies under 18 years of age this year
The Director General of Women and Family Affairs of the Governor of Markazi Province announced that 109 girls under the age of 15 were married in the first half of this year and 109 girls under the age of 18 became pregnant during this year in this province. He also stated that the number of marriages of girls under the age of 15 in the province from 2017 to last year was 1,157. The physical and psychological harms resulting from child marriage cause irreparable harm to the lives of girls, especially pregnancies under the age of 18, maternal mortality, depression, and sometimes suicide attempts, in addition to harms such as divorce, failure to attend school, and the persistence of the cycle of cultural and economic poverty.
According to HRANA News Agency, citing Rokna, the Director General of Women and Family Affairs of the Governor of Markazi Province announced the marriage of 109 girls under the age of 15 in the first half of this year in this province.
Zahra Kasaeipour said: "From 2017 to last year, 1,157 marriages of girls under the age of 15 were registered, from 2016 to 2019, 1,055 pregnancies under the age of 18 were registered, and this year, 109 pregnancies under the age of 18 were registered."
He also announced the identification of 179 child laborers in the province, adding: "125 of them are boys and the rest are girls, and of the total number of child laborers, 141 were identified in Arak and the rest in Saveh."
Referring to children referred to welfare services, Kasaeipour said: "From 2016 to 2019, 73 children have been referred to welfare services, the most common reason being emotional violence."
He noted: "This year, 886 children who have dropped out of school and 10,537 children who are nationals and immigrants have been identified in the province. Of the total number of nationals and immigrants, 8030 have cards and the rest do not have cards."
The Director General of Women and Family Affairs of the Central Governorate considered the high rate of pregnancy among girls under 18 in Khandab and Komijan compared to other cities, the inappropriate process of identifying children who have dropped out of school in Khomein and Arak, the existence of working and street children in Arak and Saveh and their increasing trend, and the need to increase the quota of support institutions to support pregnant women and needy children with malnutrition as the most important challenges facing children and adolescents in the province.
It is worth noting that child marriage or child marriage has been on the rise in Iran 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 marriage before reaching intellectual and mental maturity indicates the extent of this phenomenon in Iran. The age of marriage in Iran is determined based on “sexual maturity,” while experts say that sexual maturity is only part of the dimensions of full human maturity. Growth, awareness, education, and freedom of choice are the most basic and humane conditions for forming a family.
The physical and psychological harms caused by child marriage cause irreparable damage to the lives of girls, especially pregnancies under the age of 18, maternal mortality, depression, and sometimes suicide attempts, in addition to harms such as divorce, failure to attend school, and the persistence of the cycle of cultural and economic poverty.
According to published statistics, over 95,000 divorces involving women under the age of 19 were recorded between 2011 and 2015, with approximately 5,760 of these divorces related to marriages in which the couple was under the age of 15.
Source: HRANA
