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Child marriage

initiated by bhukku on April 06, 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_marriage)

Child marriage is a form of arranged marriage in which the parents of two children from different families arrange a future marriage. The individuals who become betrothed often do not meet one another until the wedding ceremony, which occurs when they are both of an marriageable age. Which age this is differs by local custom. In most practicing cultures, this age is at or after the onset of puberty.

Child marriage has been practiced worldwide by many cultures throughout human history. Popular in sub-Saharan Africa and diminishing, but still occurring in rural Rajasthan (India), it was also common among the nobility of some countries (notably Western Europe), with betrothal used to secure political alliances in much the same way that marriage was.

In child betrothals, a child's parents can arrange a sensible match with the parents of a child from a suitable family (social standing, wealth and expected education all play a part), thus securing the child's future at a young age. Many people who have been married in this way grow to love and cherish their spouses after the marriage. It is thought by adherents that physical attraction is not a suitable foundation upon which to build a marriage and a family. A separate consideration is the age at which the wedding, as opposed to the engagement, takes place.

Families are able to cement political and/or financial ties by having their children inter-marry. The betrothal is considered a binding contract upon the families and the children. The breaking of a betrothal can have serious consequences both for the families and for the betroven individuals themselves

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