Priyanka Chopra speaks out against female genital mutilation and child marriage

Priyanka Chopra in her capacity as UNICEF National Ambassador for India spoke up against the harmful practices of female genital mutilation and child marriage.

In her column in the Guardian, she wrote: 'Yet despite positive steps in India and elsewhere, millions of girls continue to be prevented from living empowered lives because of harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM). Though the data is difficult to come by, it is estimated that more than 700 million women worldwide were married as children. More than 130 million girls and women have been cut in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM is concentrated.'

She pointed out that the practice violated the fundamental rights of girls and women. She further wrote: 'Child marriage and FGM destroy childhoods, disrupt schooling, leave girls at higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes, and contribute to a cycle of poverty. The good news is that things are changing. In communities and families across Africa, south Asia, the Middle East and Europe, more and more people are saying no to child marriage and FGM.'

She added: 'The momentum is there. By coming together across borders and cultural and social divides, we can do away with these practices once and for all. That is why I am lending my voice to rally support and urge you and millions more to do the same.'

What is female genital mutilation?

FGM is a gruesome practice of partially removing the external genitalia of girls and young women. As many as 30 million girls around the globe still face the risk of genital mutilation in the next decade, the UNICEF said following a study of 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. A total of 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation, Xinhua cited the UN report as saying. The practice, which involves cutting away part or all of a girl's external genitalia, has been recognised as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Support for the practice, which causes severe pain and brings no short or long-term health benefit, has been in decline, the report noted. It also found that a large number of boys and men are also against the practice in some countries where genital mutilation persists. However, lack of open discussion of the sensitive issue has left millions of girls at the risk of being cut in future.

'What is clear from this report is that legislation alone is not enough,' said Unicef Deputy Executive Director Geeta Rao Gupta. 'The challenge now is to let girls and women, boys and men speak out loudly and clearly and announce they want this harmful practice abandoned.' The report said such practices remain almost universal in Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Egypt, with over 90 percent of women and girls aged 15-49 being cut.

In countries such as Chad, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, or Yemen, there has been no noticeable decline. Meanwhile, the practice has declined in Kenya, Tanzania, Benin, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic, the report added.

Child marriage the huge elephant in the room

A report released by Dasra, a philanthropy foundation called Marry me later: Preventing Child Marriage and Early Pregnancy in India released a report on the phenomenon of child marriage in India. The report also highlights how millions of girls can lead a healthier life for themselves and their families if they marry later.

The report says India accounts for the highest share of world's 60 million child marriages and 61% of women between the ages of 25-49 were married before they turn 18. Some other stats from the report:

• India accounts for 40% of child brides in India, which means two out of every five child brides is an Indian.
• 47% of Indian girls are married before they turn 18.
• 22% of Indian girls give birth before they turn 18.
• Girls under 15 are five times as likely to die during child birth than women in their early 20s.
• Loss of productivity due adolescent pregnancies is $7.7 billion a year.

Ill-effects of child marriage

The reason child marriage is a big concern is because it leads to a host of complications related to adolescent pregnancy which include:

Hypertension: They have a higher risk of suffering from hypertension during pregnancy than women in their 20s and 30s. They're also likelier to suffer from pre-eclampsia (What is preeclampsia?). In pregnant women (including teens), hypertension can lead to a serious condition called preeclampsia where women start passing protein in their urine. This leads to the disease called eclampsia which is characterised by seizures and a coma. This condition also affects other vital organs like the kidneys, liver and brain.

Anaemia: Caused due to lack of red blood cells which is usually due to nutrition deficiency like iron, vitamin B12, folic acid. The most common form is anaemia. Even women who're older experience iron deficiency during pregnancy. (Read: There's more to anaemia than just iron deficiency!)

Postpartum haemorrhage: The term refers to a haemorrhage (bleeding) after delivering and is quite common among adolescent mothers. It's caused due to the four Ts:

• Tone: Uterine atony or the inability of the uterus to contract leading to continuous bleeding.
• Trauma: From delivery which causes tear of tissues and vessels.
• Tissue: Retention of tissue from the placenta or foetus which leads to bleeding.
• Thrombin: Failure of clotting

Premature birth: This has a host of complications including neonatal mortality (death within the first month) developmental disorders, respiratory complications, vision problems and heart-related issues. They're also likelier to have a low-birth weight which is linked to neurological problems. They also suffer from hypoglycaemia (less glucose in the bloodstream).

STDs: The chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV is much higher in adolescent girls because they have less say in who their sexual partner is, particularly in an orthodox country like ours. Many of them are married to men who they've never met before and have no clue about their sexual history.

All in all adolescent pregnancies are a big menace and we need to curb the practice to safeguard the lives of our daughters, so that they too can live a completely fulfilling life. (Read: Sexually Transmitted Diseases you could have one!)

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• Do any of our politicians care about the nation's health?
• Was ex-health secretary Keshav Desi Raju's transfer justified?

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