In anthropology, there is a concept called Cultural Relativism. This idea is that you cannot judge another culture based on your experiences within your own culture. Meaning that just because something is bad in your culture it may be the norm in another.
What would a ethical relativist say about child marriages?
Moral relativism is the idea that one accepts something due to the culture that it is happening in. Some might argue that ending child marriage is the morally right thing to do suggesting that girls around the world all equally deserve to live full and happy childhoods.
Why is child marriage a tradition?
This is because: Families see child marriage as a way to cope with growing economic hardship. Parents marry their daughters because they think it will protect them from increased or generalised violence, including sexual violence. Child marriage is used as a weapon of war and to hide human trafficking and sexual abuse.
What is child marriage custom?
Challenge. Child Marriage is defined as a marriage of a girl or boy before the age of 18 and refers to both formal marriages and informal unions in which children under the age of 18 live with a partner as if married.
How does child marriage impact on society?
Child marriage ends childhood. It negatively influences children’s rights to education, health and protection. A girl who is married as a child is more likely to be out of school and not earn money and contribute to the community. She is more likely to experience domestic violence and become infected with HIV/AIDS.
What is the main cause of child marriage?
In interviewing dozens of children and young people, Human Rights Watch learned that these marriages result from a web of factors including poverty, lack of access to education, child labor, social pressures, and harmful practices.
How is child marriage portrayed in the Roma culture?
Child marriage was portrayed as a black-and-white example of a (backward) practice consented to by Roma. Such a perversion of reality could only have been accomplished by erasing any sign of internal resistance on the part of Roma- a topic I will turn to shortly.
Do Romani feminists care about child marriage?
No Romani feminists were interviewed by the media to express their position on the issue. Child marriage was portrayed as a black-and-white example of a (backward) practice consented to by Roma.
Was the child marriage debate formulated by ignoring signs of feminism?
The child marriage debate was formulated by ignoring signs of Romani resistance to the practice, thereby portraying feminism as the brainchild of the West/whites. No Romani feminists were interviewed by the media to express their position on the issue.
Do children have the right to consent to their parents’ mate choices?
Children are often given varying powers to consent to their parents’ choice of a mate, with males having significantly more power to reject proposed mates than females.
