Effects of being a Child Bride and Early Motherhood

by Alecsandra Aubrey Luna

 

The indigenous children are often marked by a lack of educational opportunities and the need to work to help support a family. In addition, young people are forced into marriage when they are still very young, often at age 12 or 13.  This can cause them to prematurely enter into marriages which may not be appropriate for them.

Traditional elders have pushed early marriage and childbearing among young indigenous people without considering the harmful impact on the health of young women and their offspring. Young indigenous women who marry older men and enter motherhood at a young age frequently face health issues because they are subjected to greater levels of stress than other women.

When girls get married at a very young age, they are going through puberty at the same time and that can result in health problems such as miscarriage, severe bleeding, infections and in the worst cases is death. Additionally, it is not good for women themselves because after giving birth so early on in life, they may not be able to take care of themselves or their children properly due to physical limitations or mental health issues resulting from childbirth which could cause serious consequences down the road such as depression and it can also create problems for their husbands because they are not able to provide for their families properly.

The health problems these young mothers face can also cause issues for their children. Children born into this lifestyle are often born early or premature due to complications during pregnancy or delivery since they do not have the ability to provide proper medical care. Due to the fact that it is part of their culture, and no one educates the children on the subject, there is a greater likelihood that these children will also encounter this kind of situation. The system will continue to repeat itself.

Early motherhood and marriage to young indigenous people have been a tradition in many indigenous cultures, but the negative effect of this to young indigenous people are not just bad for the children and the parents, but also for the society as a whole, so this may be considered to be controlled by the government, or at the very least, they should be given seminars on the negative health effects associated with early pregnancy. This tradition of early marriage and motherhood is not necessary for the survival of a tribe in fact it has been proven that many cultures were able to survive without early motherhood, and there are many examples from indigenous cultures around the world.