The research “She’s going on my boat: Marriage in Childhood and Adolescence in
Brasil”, launched on September 9th in Brasília, presents data on this practice that is still little discussed in Brazil. When we talk about childhood marriage, we think of ritualistic ceremonies from Asian or sub-Saharan African cultures involving the imposition of marriage on children with older men. In Brazil, this practice occurs in a naturalized manner and in informal unions, generally involving girls in their childhood/adolescence with adult men, on average 9 older men, as an alternative for the young woman when faced with limited life options.
The research carried out by Promundo in partnership with the Federal University of Pará and Plan International Brasil sought to analyze attitudes and practices surrounding child marriage in the two most prevalent Brazilian states: Maranhão and Pará. According to the 2010 Census, 88 One thousand girls and boys are in consensual, civil and/or religious unions in Brazil. Around 11% of Brazilian women aged between 20 and 24 were married before the age of 15 and 36% of the same group were married before the age of 18 (PNAD). Despite the significant numbers, few policies and no other studies have addressed the issue of marriage during childhood and adolescence in Brazil.
During the launch at Unicef headquarters, a panel was held with the presence of the Executive Director of Promundo, Tatiana Moura; the Coordinator of the UNICEF Adolescent Citizenship Program, Mario Volpi; the regional research coordinators in Maranhão and Pará, Luca Sinesi, from Plan International and Lucia Lima, from the Federal University of Pará, who presented reports from the field; UNFPA Guatemala researcher José Roberto Luna, who presented research on the topic that is being developed in Guatemala and El Salvador; research coordinator Alice Taylor, from Promundo, who presented the general research data and Benedito Santos from the Catholic University of Brasília who mediated the conversation.
The study points out that the motivations for marriage involve several factors, including: unwanted pregnancy, family control over girls' sexuality, search for financial security, girls' desire to leave the family and/or a situation of family oppression, desire for greater autonomy and the desire of husbands to marry younger girls.
These motivations are related to dimensions of gender inequality that present different roles for men and women in society, reserving for them the role of active and provider beings and for them the role of care (of the home, children and husband) and of conforming her husband's preferences and needs, above her desires.
The research shows that marriages in childhood and adolescence are marked by unequal power relations between husband and wife, which generates consequences such as withdrawal from school, the job market, consequences for sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health and restricting girls’ mobility. “Many think that by getting married they will have the freedom that they do not find in families, but research shows that the situation of marriage only increases control over them”, says Alice Taylor, coordinator of the Research.
Thus, education for gender equality presents itself as an important strategy for guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents that is currently being threatened by PL 2731/2015, which came into circulation in the Chamber of Deputies in August. PL 2731 amends the National Education Plans to “provide for the prohibition of the use of gender ideology in national education.” According to the bill, it should not be the school's role to sexually “indoctrinate” children and also guides the States, the Federal District and the Municipalities to adapt their education plans according to this logic.
The discussion about the agency – decision-making power as subjects of rights – of girls regarding marriage was an important factor in the debate. Benedito Santos sought to discuss the conditions under which these girls are opting for marriage and which of their rights are violated when they find themselves in this configuration. Thus, intersections of class and race must also be taken into account when dealing with this phenomenon, since it is mainly configured among the portion of the population that is in a situation of economic and social vulnerability.
The lack of substantial options and the high vulnerability identified by the research as factors that push adolescents towards marriage allow us to question the role that bodies and institutions that guarantee the rights of children and adolescents are playing in fulfilling their mission. Lucia Lima, field researcher in Pará, points out that in some interviews girls present the desire to “get rid” of school as their motivation for marriage, for example. “As an educator, I keep asking myself which school is this that we are offering to children and teenagers?”
Education for gender equity and girls' empowerment was presented by Mario Volpi, from UNICEF, as a way to confront the consequences of this practice. 'We need to give new meaning to roles in society and not just at the individual or family level. We need to generate a counter-trend (in gender relations) and, above all, empower girls”, he said.
Tatiana Moura, from Promundo, presented the need to invest in policies that address issues related to gender norms with girls and boys and for research to be a first step towards future investigations and interventions on the topic.
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