Early marriage problems [Archives:2003/663/Culture]

By Nawal Zayd
For the Yemen Times
Early marriage which has become a norm in our society, has led to detriment inevitable consequences on motherhood and childhood. It constitutes a big burden for our country's economy.
During the early marriage, the mother is exposed to a pregnancy at an early age which in turn threatens the life of the newborn infant. Mothers are also exposed to several diseases such as, deficiency diseases that in most cases lead to death.
In rural areas, for instance, the husband prefers to have a lot of children heedless of his wife's diseases resulting from reproduction and unmindful of responsibilities as a true father.
In order to please her husband of having more children, she is exposed to a repeated pregnancy without even recommending more frequent parental check-ups.
A much greater level of understanding is required between couples. In a society like Yemen, husbands are unaware of problems suffered by their wives. Some husbands in society like Yemen can be termed as pleasure seekers and they have different outlook towards women as means of gratification as well as satisfying their desires.
She can be a victim to having miscarriage and she may die in labour.
Another teething problem is the lack of maternity care as well as the husband's ignorance towards bringing his children up and educating` them in a proper manner.
It is difficult for parents to provide their children with the bare necessities of life.
It is also difficult for them to educate their children in schools and closely follow up their homework.
This is not only enough; children are exposed to deviation and unknown future.
They are brought as vagabonds and vagrants.
The more children the parents have, the more problems they face…
Consequently, parents are unable to control their children and teach them good morals and principles. Parents when giving their children carte blanche, then they tend to become more destructive, stubborn, and intractable.
Parents when seeing a large number of children, they tend to become inactive, ignorant and inconsiderate to bring their children up in a good and appropriate manner. They also get frustrated and are incapable of providing all the bare necessities of life to their children.

Solutions needed
Consequences of having more children have increased day by day in the Yemeni society. For well-educated and prosperous family, the following solutions needed:
– Putting an end to an early marriage. It should be after the age of 20. This will pave the way for the mother to have healthy babies, and better delivery.
– Raising awareness of the great significance of birth control. This can be achieved through disseminating awareness health campaigns through media. The role of the health ministry in this regard is indispensable.
– Launching health campaigns on the great significance of the natural breast-feeding.
– Prolonging intervals between pregnancies in order to reach at least 3 or 4 years.
– Paying a special attention to rural women, because they are exposed to reproductive diseases more than urban women. Women in rural areas are in need of frequent health and family control.
– Conducting reproductive health studies and researches comparing and analyzing them for future use.
The above-mentioned solutions in my point of view will help a lot to reduce reproductive problems. Despite of launching nationwide health campaigns on reproduction health aspects, yet people have been still unaware and in need of consequent of non-stop awareness campaigns. The responsibility should be held by the health ministry and other health bodies.
——
[archive-e:663-v:13-y:2003-d:2003-08-28-p:culture]