Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education 2016
parents with young girls, face a lot of criticism if they approve of their child
being in a relationship before marriage and quite often this goes to the extent
that the families are labeled by the rest of the community.
In contrast, boys are given more leniency as people believed that their actions
or decisions usually do not affect how the family is perceived within the
community. Hence parents are often more accepting of their son being in a
relationship while they disapprove their daughters for the same. It is clear
from the responses from the participants that even though most parents
disapprove of their children being in relationships, this opinion is most often
given little consideration by the children. Furthermore, most noted that the
disapproval often acts as a motivator to rebel.
It was found that a majority of the respondents were of the opinion that
marriage at a young age was not favorable. Knowledge of possible
complications that may arise when girls get pregnant at a younger age, the risk
of miscarriage and the other health related issues were quoted by these
participants to justify their opinion. Most participants, especially from the
youth FGDs, adamantly argued that many young couples were often physically
and mentally unprepared to take up the responsibilities of married life, child
bearing or child rearing. A participant from the youth focus group stated:
“A child cannot grow well in the womb of another child”46
Furthermore, almost all the parties involved agreed that married life will deter
opportunities for future education and career development in one way or the
other, especially after having children. Participants emphasized that young
people should give priority to education and a career. Some mentioned that
early marriages may lead to unwanted pregnancies, unhappiness and even
46
Youth FGDs
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THEMATIC ANALYSIS