In Asia, Covid-19 worsens the phenomenon of early marriages

The Covid-19 crisis has increased the precariousness of women in the world and accelerated the phenomenon of early marriage in Asia.

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2 min

This is one of the many alarming consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in Southeast Asia, the number of early marriages seems to be increasing worryingly, according to social workers and NGOs dedicated to this scourge.

Figures for 2020 are not yet available, but a clear trend is already noticeable.

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From our correspondent in Kuala Lumpur

,  

Gabrielle Maréchaux

For more than a decade, Sai Jyothirmai has been combating early marriage in Southeast Asia.

But since the coronavirus arrived, the slow improvements she could see have froze.

“

There has been progress in recent years, but the coronavirus has generated backpedaling, and in this emerging 'new normal' scenario, I really have the feeling that we will have to go back several steps and start over from there, 

”she explains.

This finding, the Resource and Research Center for Women in Asia Pacific (

Arrow

), which she directs explains in two ways: " 

The coronavirus has disrupted public health priorities and services and information related to sexuality. , contraception were neglected and were no longer considered urgent

 ”.

In addition to this, at the family and household level, it has been observed that parents have great difficulty in feeding their children.

They may have lost their wages, but despite all this they want to protect their children, sometimes also to protect them from dangers within the home itself, where they are very vulnerable to violence and sexual assault.

And to solve all these problems, early marriage can then be seen as a solution.

And in addition to early marriage, the NGO network involved in women's rights has also noted an increase in teenage pregnancies.

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