and v;i{e J]j(l\ r-l 0\\' up in 1lJe house uf his p.n~ t"Ill~ lli tl:is cJse. the Jlloihcr~in~Li\', lJlust protl'Ct tlw girl fwm all\' a1kmces b\· her son.'' This is ;llso true in \\ ·L. st Afric :1n coulllriLS.' Hcmewr. this proll'ction may Llil. \\hlw ll1e hus!J;md is JJHJch older lkll! the C1st's of furcr'd interCiil!J~l' ],\ J:Juch oldt·J :n1d plnsic:Jlly fulh· d1'\ hus!J;mch 1\i!lJ 1\'in·s <1<. yrmng :1s eigLt lme Lcen reported.·· Fur the \'a\l majority oi UIHler~ediic<Jt­ ed rlllZil odoksCl·nt girls in the de\eloping world. JIJJrri:Jgc rell!:Jins the likely context for 5exual intL"rcourse.'': And while zm UllJmiTiL'd tercJIJf!c u0irl mav find it diffi~ cult to resist miw;mtcd sexual ad\'anccs. her m:mied sister IIIJ)' find it impossible. Resc:nchns have tended to focus on adolescent sexuality outside m<Jniage, or have m;Jde no distinction ])('tween married and unmznried :Jdolescents. Tllis mr:~ns that tlJerc Zlre only limited d~ta about sexual experience <i!llCillg m<uried ~clobcen!s; tile· assun1ption prc·v<Jils that 5('\ wil I! in lll:nri:1ge is a priori comensn<~!. A 1~107 study among women in Calcutta fonnd that half l1r1d been nmried at or lwlow the age of 15, ;md that this group wm highly Yulner;Jble to seX11al viol0rJctin mil!Tiage. In SO per cent of cases v\'l1cre tl11:sl' yo1mg \\iws informed their husb:IJlcls of thr:ir unwillingness to endme .Sf:'Xl!al Yioll'nce, they were ignored. Pain and trauma are enhanced where girls ]me 1!1Jdngone son1e form of FG.i\1, l'spr·cially where tl1is h;Ls !wen under! cken JN(ntly, and especi;illy in the case of infibul;Jtion \\ hich is designed to make puneti Ziti on clifficnlt. Pmblems may be cxacerb;1ted after childbirth. In manv 'ocirlil'\ ilJid in !11;111) millions of incliviclllol cc..,es, I\ onwn have no choice but to resume sc·xual rclJtions within 11vo m three rl:ys of childbirt]J. e\ c·n if there has h~en ngiml nitling during delivery, and reg:mllcss c1f the pain it c:Juses.'' 1.,.) J Access to contraception and reproductive health advice \'cry [e\\ girls in early llEllliJges in devel~ oping countries Jm·e accc·ss to COJJtJ ace· pi ion: nor \'iould clt·ln_ycd pregn;mcy ncccs~ Sillily be ilCCPjllilbJc to llliill)' husiJ<IJJdS cilld in-bv,s. lmletd,'in Ill<IIIY societies, child~ bczning soon cftcr rn;miage is integrnl to a wcm:ons sucial status. ln Yemen, 11 per cent ofv<'ivcs a'li'd 15-20 stated th;Jt tl1P\ D clicl no! u:or contr<~ception bl'calJSc of their J 10 hmb:J!Jds· Oj'Jl!lSition. 1 ' Jn ::lmust a11 \1i~1: J ''S11!t on thE' ne\\'h -l!J:lrlicd clJilclbt<lling tj!!ickly. In CJmvwc,n. \Ll!i ;mci 1\igeria, ll1e mod,,uJ m:1ge ntes among m:micd l S-19 yc;r olds are only 1.5. ~ ,j ;md 0 GjJ~l cell! Ic')'tCtiveh·H to 1!::\'t- <J:J\ ~<s OVH \\]Jrn ;mel if t]w, prPgnan1 b ch:!!!ces of early prcgn:Jncy &t An;Jlvsis of Dl IS delta indic;ilc\ 1lial tilt first birtl1 usuJJly occur' \Yitllin l4~2G months of lll:JJTi:Jge, allhc,ugh it m<~y bt· sligl1tly longer 11hne uf b \ery low, as in Bangl;idesh. 1 1 Teenage girls are also llJore .1uscr·ptiLk than mort watme women to sexuallvtransruiiled infections (STls), including 1-l!V Tllis is the n'sul! of bDtlJ biologira] factors, such as hormonal fluctu;:tiom and the pcmlcilbility of \agiml !issue. and social f~ctors, snell a' ]J[)\\'er rcl;Jtions bctwc·en wonwn <llld l!li'JJ tl!Ji nJak~ it difficult for girls ::llli wonwn to negotiate scfc ~C'X. STls c;:JJ lead to infertility, and in tlw case of]~]]\', the outcome is prcm:Jtmc· mortality and risks of transmiosion to the foetus. ln a recent study in Rwa!lda, 25 pn cent of girls who becJme prr-gnant at 17 or younger v;ere infected with HIV, although many reported ha\'ing sex only v.ith thc·ir hmbands. According to the study, the younger the age at 5CXUill inter~ COUlltJit'S [}Je l~epali cuur)e JJJd ilrsi JiH'.~J~J!Jc·y. lL~ uf 1--11\ · Jc,! fl':n ,,; vu TlH iL!c·:•t Hl\'/,iJ DS h 1s 1 '''l!Jt· LXH"n1. bm ilH·rL" ic. Liik 1 :11 !Jurt:CJ\tl. cb'..'.!c,um t·dun\iun dut'o !Jlrt JI'&L chilclrt'll \\]JU d!t J1ut i11 sclJrtol 1 u: cx:JJJijtlf. ilccording to rht;; fiUm .C:ri L:JJJI~;, ]JUblislJed in 19011, OJJL'-!Lircl u! \ i!l!i!J; adult~ bc•twerri Hi iJJJd 74 did nut }JJO\', the dun1ion ofa JJUJJJLil piegJJ:lJJI.\'. Le1s th:m 5 pcr cent l!:Hl di5.Jll':~·cd lt']JJC!ducliYC health \\ilh t]Jl'iJ }l'lll'JJ1s. Tllcrl' aJe still a 11illlllwr of cr:\illl!lL.'· \\ hni: rqn (Jcluciin lH'Jlth SL'l\'ice~ arL b~Jrred io en tlwn: !r1 h:i\ l' ll'<ICliHl <1 cr·rizti!l :it'��''·'' Tlw lXC ludec, m:my lllillTil'll ;rdc;le~cem.< ii! cr'unlrles sucl1 a.\ Z:lrnbi;, o; wline limits <Jre in fom· - nJJothcr of thl' anolllZilircs sunmmrling r·:iily JJ,<IJJi:tgl' Pregnancy and child!Jirlh Thr· rhks of ecrly pregmncy ;md childbirth arc well dc:Clllncnted: imll'<ls~cl risl. of dying. incrca:.ed risl; of pn'Iit:Jturc· lobour. cc!lnplicatiom durine di'livr:ry. lcJ\\ Children's Views on Early Marriage During research commi~sioned by Save the Children Fund (UK), girls aged br"twsr:n 1.j and 17 from different ethnic groups and castes in two villages in Sur~het District, Nepal, made the fo!lov1ing observations on marriage ''fv1y sister was married at 14 years old. Sh2 appealed \o the s.chool to ths marriage, but to no ami." 14 ysar old girl "fv1y parents rT1arri0d me to a man in Ld.h. i had to wort: very hard but in-law didn't recognisE this. 1/:y hu~.ba~1cl btal me, so I don't like to go to his even though he will come to take rr.e. I want to go to school." 1~ year old "I married due to my father's pressurt:. I gave birth to a sor,, yet encouraged me to go to school. I study more than others do. So my rnernber' respect me." n year old girl. The girls were aware that early marri2ge v1as dangfrous from a hrcalth that early pregllancy could threaten the health -even the lives- of mother e;nd Asked to give rea,ons for early marriage, the girls mentio<JE:d society's refusal to unmarried pregnancies and ssx outside marriage. failing school eY.ams gossip; the heavy workload in their parents' home and the dream of nice clothes and seeing ne:J places after IV:any girls feitthat dnd motherhood vvould provide them with a s•2nse of security ar1d lC'tter status. The airls felt that their value and status wert: lo'/J because thsy vmuld to Hkir husband's family and because do not inherit parental they had been happy until the age of 10 bt:cause thc,y could play as they \Vithout any vvork or restrictions on their mobility. I~ oN they wanted to continue th~ir stuciies but found it hard to do so due to th:::ir heavy household vJOrkloi:ids. From report of research cono0cted by Jrada Gautam iw Savf the Chi'dren (UI.') in Sur!:hst. December 7998-January 7999. :v.n.-iucn •.r.c'