Child marriage and pregnancy hotlines launched
THE Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UNICEF set up two hotlines related to child marriage and youth pregnancy.
According to the ministry, people being forced into child marriage face many crises and their parents should avoid it. The rate of child marriage is still high in the northeastern regions of Cambodia.
Sar Sineth, deputy director of the ministry’s Legal Protection Department, told The Post on Thursday the announcement of the hotlines is to help citizens report issues and receive counselling.
“The announcement of these numbers is aimed at providing services to victims and help reduce tensions and problems they feel they cannot speak about.
“As a first step, we listen to them and then we provide mental and legal counselling. Later, if they still have problems, we will seek out services near to them for help,” he said.
Sineth said that with the support of UNICEF the ministry was able to launch the campaign.
He said the regions most affected are Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces.
“We see many people in Ratanakkiri and Mondulkiri provinces [mostly indigenous people] getting married at a young age. They have suffered many impacts such as pregnancy. They become mothers at a young age causing a risk to their children and health problems. They also experience domestic violence,” he said.
UNICEF Cambodia’s communications specialist Meas Bunly said child marriage is a violation of human rights and threatens the lives, wellbeing and future of girls. Bunly said girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school.
He said they have worse economic and health outcomes than their unmarried peers, which are eventually passed down to their own children and straining a country’s capacity to provide quality health and education services.
This imposes substantia l economic costs at the nationa l level wit h major implications for development and prosperit y. The sustainable development goals ca ll for t he elimination of a ll harmf ul practices to advance t he rights of women and girls globa lly, according to Bunly.
“Child brides of ten become pregnant during adolescence when t he risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirt h increases – for themselves and t heir infants.
“The practice can a lso isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating i n t heir communities, ta k ing a heav y toll on t heir physica l and psychologica l wellbeing,” he said.
According to UNICEF, child marriage in Cambodia has declined steadily over t he last 25 years.
In 2014, the rate of women under 18 getting married accounted for 19 per cent. In 1989, the number was 28 per cent.
The numbers are 011 217 123 and 077 555 664.