Should Child Marriages be Banned Worldwide?

[McBell]

I wouldn't say it's because of that. It would take a lot of research to find out – if it's possible to find out.

I suspect that it is the general populace who are against child marriage simply because it is a weasel wording of pedophilia and they are not the least bit fooled.
Thus it has nothing to do with religion or government, but basic human decency.

I will further go on record and state it is my opinion that it is mostly the pedophiles of the world who want child marriage to be legal and are using government and religion to justify it.

 

[Quintessence]

I like human diversity. I dislike Child abuse. IF no abuse THEN no problem. BUT as we have now seen priests abuse their power in Christ's Name with little children (boys) and maybe nuns with little girls. I think it is good to check other religious institutes too.

I'm not sure how some people make the leap from "child marriage" to "child abuse." The one hardly equates to the other. There's nothing about contractual relationships (aka, marriage) that leads to abuse, regardless of age. Unless, I suppose, one takes the position that contracting relationships in any fashion is abusive. If we're talking about traditional marriage, sure, treating women like property, breeding stock, or political pawns could be interpreted as abusive.

Allowing children to marry is not diversity, it is dangerous. A child (not a teenager) is simply not ready for marriage. Not mentally, physically or even developmentally.
A marriage involves sex, does it not? (Unless both parties are Aces.) A marriage involves joint taxes, a contract and responsibilities such as running a household, earning income and possibly child rearing. What child is capable of such things?

This is a clear example of bringing your own cultural expectations of the table and then measuring all cultures worldwide by your particular yardstick. That's not fair, and not your (or my) call... especially when the precise nature of what marriage is varies across cultures (and historical eras) too. But sure, let's ban something from every human on the planet based on some arbitrary age that involves some arbitrary contractual agreement for some particular sort of relationship whose nature varies by culture. Even if this was a good idea, it's not even possible to do it.

 

[stvdv]

I'm not sure how some people make the leap from "child marriage" to "child abuse."

How about incest, which happens a lot?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I'm not sure how some people make the leap from "child marriage" to "child abuse." The one hardly equates to the other. There's nothing about contractual relationships (aka, marriage) that leads to abuse, regardless of age. Unless, I suppose, one takes the position that contracting relationships in any fashion is abusive. If we're talking about traditional marriage, sure, treating women like property, breeding stock, or political pawns could be interpreted as abusive.



This is a clear example of bringing your own cultural expectations of the table and then measuring all cultures worldwide by your particular yardstick. That's not fair, and not your (or my) call... especially when the precise nature of what marriage is varies across cultures (and historical eras) too. But sure, let's ban something from every human on the planet based on some arbitrary age that involves some arbitrary contractual agreement for some particular sort of relationship whose nature varies by culture. Even if this was a good idea, it's not even possible to do it.

So basically you are saying you are fine with a grown man marrying a female child, enjoying her sexually, and expecting her to be happy in her role? (Or maybe you're not interested in that last part -- she's a female after all, and what does her happiness have to do with anything?)

 

[Vinayaka]

I hope so. In Canada I think if they dont have sex, they are not boyfriend girlfriend, they would be just friends or dating.

I taught in a K-9 school. This is just false. Kids will call each other boyfriend/girlfriend by having a date or two, and for the time period of it being just each other (old way was 'going steady') they often don't have sex, on mutual agreement. Having sex, on the other hand, in high schools or universities, even in the last couple of years in junior high, can be young boyfriend/girlfriend couples, or just casual sex, like at a party.

Of course within ethnic communities, all this might change. I'm just speaking about your average public school, where the predominant culture is Anglo Saxon, or the Canadian amalgamation of that. Individuals vary a ton. In high schools kids vary from chaste to rather promiscuous.

 

[Heyo]

Yet here we are, WITH said ban, and guess what?
It is not being enforced.

"In recent years, many countries in the EU have tightened their marriage laws, either banning marriage under 18 completely, or requiring judicial approval for such marriages. Countries which have reformed their marriage laws in recent years include Sweden (2014), Denmark (2017), Germany (2017), Luxembourg (2014), Spain (2015), Netherlands (2015), Finland (2019) and Ireland (2019). Many developing countries have also enacted similar laws in recent years: Honduras (2017), Ecuador (2015), Costa Rica (2017), Panama (2015), Trinidad & Tobago (2017), Malawi (2017). In the US, the lax child marriage laws that exist in many states have attracted international attention.[25] In recent years, several US states have reformed their child marriage laws, including Virginia, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Kentucky, Arizona, Delaware, Tennessee, New Jersey, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio." from Marriageable age - Wikipedia
Not yet. Things move slowly but they do move.

 

[Piculet]

Thus it has nothing to do with religion or government, but basic human decency.

Basic human decency is only some 50 years old? You have very little respect for your ancestors.

 

[PruePhillip]

Children have rights, yes. Which is primarily the reason why I do not think parents should be allowed to make an end run around ages of consent by effectively designating their child as partner to a grown adult for the purpose of a sexual relationship.

Do you disagree?

Sure I agree. But social movements trend to the negative. If the govt can remove
a 7 year old boy for chemical castration because he believes he is a girl, then why
can't a 12 year old girl overrule parents to marry a 40 year old man - using the same
legal arguments?

 

[PruePhillip]

You said "fashion."
When did murder become a whim of fashion?
When did rape become a whim of fashion?
When did torture become a whim of fashion?
When did burglary become a whim of fashion?

It depends which way the whims of fashion take us. The Cause, when it comes,
will come with the force of righteousness - whether it's no fault divorce, castrating
kids or killing sick/depressed people. When it comes you no doubt will be swept
up in its urgency.

 

[epronovost]

Islam made democracy much before your country had it.

Really, I believed the Islamic Empire was ruled by a calif and later sultans who inherited their power through bloodline and acts of conquests in much the same way then Christian kings and emperors of the time.

 

[epronovost]

Source(s)?

For what point do you want a source for?

PS: that's very easy to research to. I don't know why you ask for my help. You can find canadian law and jurisprudence online for free from the Canadian government.

 

[McBell]

Basic human decency is only some 50 years old? You have very little respect for your ancestors.

are you seriously going to make the claim that it has been only the last 50 years people have had problems with child marriage?

If not, you will have to explain what you are talking about.

 

[McBell]

For what point do you want a source for?

My apologies on not being specific.

1. age teenagers have acquired enough experience and knowledge about sexuality to make their first attempt safely and in a sane context.
2. average age for the first full sexual intercourse of people in Canada
   
3. and pretty much the rest of the developped world

PS: that's very easy to research to.

Then it should not be hard to present your sources...

I don't know why you ask for my help.

Your "help"?
You made the claims.
The onus is on you to support them.

You can find canadian law and jurisprudence online for free from the Canadian government.

Then it should be no problem presenting a link, right?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Islam made democracy much before your country had it.

Islam had it's own golden age, How about now? What happened?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Islam had it's own golden age, How about now? What happened?

There was a time, yes, when Islam pretty much saved the knowledge of the classical world -- and we should all be very, very grateful for this.

But what you say is true -- for some reason, Islam stopped translating books from anywhere in the world into Arabic or the other languages of Islamic nations, apparently as if they had lost interest in any knowledge outside of that prescribed by the religion itself.

 

[epronovost]

My apologies on not being specific.

1. age teenagers have acquired enough experience and knowledge about sexuality to make their first attempt safely and in a sane context.
2. average age for the first full sexual intercourse of people in Canada
   
3. and pretty much the rest of the developped world

Then it should not be hard to present your sources...

Do you require scholarly sources with my own analysis of them interjected or will a link to a simple vulgarisation article or even a link to a google search without comment suffice?

If you want some moe information about Canadian law on sexual consent, I can offer you this more detailed information.

Age of Consent to Sexual Activity

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

The average age of when humans start experimenting sexually is NOT the same thing as marriage. Marriage, in most cultures, is an absolutely immense commitment -- usually (it is supposed) for life. That requires a huge amount more than an awareness of one's own budding sexuality, and an interest in another attractive person.

But perhaps I'm the outlier, here. Having been brought up entirely without family for my whole life, and largely without the usual cultural bonds that go with that, my viewpoint is essentially human, not cultural. I value every human, and every human's right to live their own life, in the way that they see fit. I've never been comfortable with things like "arranged marriage" (even among those old enough), because it denies individual humans the freedom to live as they wish.

But when it's children, I think it is perverse, and I don't really care about "cultural norms" that say perverse is okay if you belong to this sect or that faith.

 

[truthseeker7]

Just recently a law allowing child marriage (at Puberty) to be legalized in Somalia has come under world scrutiny. The Religion of peace has been very silent with only international political groups reminding the Somalian Government of previous international agreements to preventing child marriages. Somalia is not the only country which acquiesce in child marriages. Should there be a worldwide ban on such a practice?
Bill endorsing child marriages in Somalia roundly condemned

it should but economic development hinders social progress

 

[Cooky]

The average age of when humans start experimenting sexually is NOT the same thing as marriage. Marriage, in most cultures, is an absolutely immense commitment -- usually (it is supposed) for life. That requires a huge amount more than an awareness of one's own budding sexuality, and an interest in another attractive person.

But perhaps I'm the outlier, here. Having been brought up entirely without family for my whole life, and largely without the usual cultural bonds that go with that, my viewpoint is essentially human, not cultural. I value every human, and every human's right to live their own life, in the way that they see fit. I've never been comfortable with things like "arranged marriage" (even among those old enough), because it denies individual humans the freedom to live as they wish.

But when it's children, I think it is perverse, and I don't really care about "cultural norms" that say perverse is okay if you belong to this sect or that faith.

Does marriage have to equate with sex?

 

[The Anointed]

Does marriage have to equate with sex?

No! Sex is mainly for the reproduction of the human species, although even at the age of 78 and the wife at 76, with no hope of ever producing any more children, we still enjoy a healthy sex life.

I don't wish to offend you, by causing you to visualise two old wrinklies at it.