Ethics
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Ethics
Forced Marriages/Arraigned Marriages
We are all familiar with the story: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl gets married. For a majority of the western world, this is our ideal of a great beginning to a perfect marriage.
As I have done some research on the subject of forced marriage and an arranged marriage, I feel I should explain the difference. A “Forced Marriage” is one in which one or more of the parties, usually the women is married without his/her consent or against his/her will. A forced marriage is considered to be domestic violence and an abuse of human rights. Victims of forced marriage often experience physical violence, rape, abduction, sexual abuse, and often times emotional and mental abuse. An “Arranged Marriage” is where both parties consent to the assistance of their parents or a third party in identifying a spouse. According to most Catholics and other Christians, a valid marriage is one where both parties give their consent freely and they feel (as many other religions may feel) that forcing someone into marriage is a grave sin.
As on the island of Callatia, young women were forced into marriage at a young age of 12. It was hard for me to comprehend such an act at such a young age. As I continued my research, I found some of the stories to be quit disturbing. In a forced marriage the young women (wives) were not allowed to be seen in public (in India). The husbands held all the power over their wives and he was able to decide whether the wife lived or died.
It was not uncommon for a husband to kill his wife if her dowry was not sufficient by his means. This practice was called Bride-burning. This form of domestic violence was practiced in parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries located on or around the Indian subcontinent. The Bride-burning is alleged to be the husband or the family of the husband dousing the mans wife with any type of flammable liquid such as gasoline, or kerosene and sets the women on fire, which usually leads to death. The way in which this type of behavior is disguised is that it is reported as a kitchen accident or suicide.
There are several reasons for such a hyenas crime. Some of the reasons include the failure of the wifes family to provide what is seen as a large enough dowry, the wifes falling behind on dowry payments, or the desire of the husband to rid himself of his wife without dishonoring himself. Husbands who participate in these crimes may belie that burning their wife is a good way to remove her without evidence, and may provide for an opportunity to marry again and thus receive a larger dowry.
It is considered a more normal practice to have your marriage arranged. The two main religions that follow this practice are Muslim and Hindu. Though there may be other religions that follow this tradition, these are the two main religions. Muslims and Hindus believe that arrange marriages have ewer divorces. They believe marrying the girls young, because, if not, they potentially have a chance to be with other men and therefore are a risk.
The most common area that the practice of girls marrying at a your age is most common in sub-saharan Africa and South Asia. However, in the Middle East, North Africa and other parts of Asia, marriage at, or shortly after puberty is common among some groups.
In 1998 there are findings, through surveys showing that in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; nearly 14 per cent of girls were married between the ages of 10 and 14.
In Ethiopia and parts of West Africa, marriage at seven or eight is common.
In Kebbi-State, Northern Nigeria, the average age of marriage for girls is just over 11, against the national average age of 17.
A few reasons parents choose to marry their daughters are: For poor families, they regard there young girls as an economic burden and her marriage as a survival strategy for the family. Some families thinking that it offers protection for the r daughter from the dangers of sexual assault or more generally offers the care of a male guardian and other families view it as a strategy to avoid pregnancy outside of marriage.
Serious and harmful consequences for children in an early marriage include:
Denial of girls education Ð- once married, girls tend not to go to school.
Health problems Ð- these include premature pregnancies that cause higher rates of maternal and infant morality. Teenage girls are also more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDs.
Abuse Ð- this is common in child marriages. In addition, children who refuse to marry or who choose a marriage partner against the wishes of their parents are often punished or even killed by their families in so-called Ðhonor-killings.
Cultural relativism involves problems evaluating acts that constitute violence in one culture that may be accepted and practiced in another cultural and not regarded as violence despite its pervasiveness.