I AM at that point in my writing career where I’m starting to test the waters of controversy. This topic is not as controversial but there is still a divide of opinions when it comes to teen marriages in Guyana. Fairly enough, it’s when a teenager gets married.

On the legal perspective, at the age of 16, consent can be given to get married as well as, to engage in sexual activities. However, information provided by the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic suggests that if someone is 16 or 17, marriage could only be granted through the parents or guardians or with leave of the Chief Justice. The laws of Guyana also state that if a female is pregnant or gave birth and she’s below the age of 16, she can get married to the father of the child despite his age as well.

A Law student from the University of Guyana professed her thoughts on this topic by stating, “This is a particularly disturbing provision to me, simply because anyone under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to sex. In a situation where a man above the age of consent impregnates a young woman below the age of consent that typically amounts to statutory rape even if they were in a ‘loving relationship’, she was in no position to give her permission to the sexual act. However, in light of this offence, the laws still provide that the couple could be married. It must be noted that the Marriage Act referred to is from 1998 and the Sexual Offences Act (which sets out the age of consent) is from 2010 and there is an understandable disconnect.”

In my opinion, the cause of many teenage marriages in Guyana is caused by religious or cultural reasons. Other factors may include love, peer pressure and teenage pregnancy. Arranged marriage is also very common in the Indo-Guyanese societies of Guyana. While there’s the distinction of forced marriages and those teenagers who consent, it is also important to note that marriage can put a physical, mental and emotional strain on children as their bodies and minds are still developing. Many of these young people or their parents believe in abstinence before marriage and would get married very young, most of the times for all the wrong reasons (sex, to move out of parents’ home, etc.).

Now in many of these cases, these young couples will end up thinking the only way to have sex, move out, to have some form of independence is to get married. Years later or even months after getting married these couples would then find out that they’re incompatible (sexually, emotionally) with each other. Again, due to their strong religious and cultural beliefs divorce is also ‘wrong’. Hence, they will be forced to stay in these marriages for the long run. The lack of education, basic life skills training and poor parental guidance also contributes to teen/child marriages. Sadly enough, Pedophiles hide behind cultural and religious practices just so that they can marry a young child. The pressure of a dowry or bride price on families also contribute to this; the older the bride the higher the bride price.

Our constitution declared that at 16 years old, we are not old enough to drive a motor car on the road but somehow, we’re mature enough to upkeep martial, sexual and parental responsibilities. The phrase ‘teen marriage’ is subtle. Let’s not forget that those under the age of 18 are considered children by the law. According to the United Nations, 39,000 child marriages occur every day and between the period of 2011 and 2020, 140 million girls will be married. Complications of pregnancies are rampant between the ages of 15-19 and young girls are more vulnerable to sexual and domestic violence.

To my fellow teenagers, I advise you all to grasp as much education as you can and remember that marriage is not the only way to gain a high status in society, especially young females. In the words of a 14-year-old Nepali school girl, ‘I used to imagine that life would just go by laughing and playing. But now, there’s no laughter. I’m pregnant so I feel strange.’ Or in other words, as old Guyanese folks would say, ‘a child can’t raise a child.’