LEGALIZATION OF UNDERAGE MARRIAGE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE HEALTH OF THE MOTHER AND CHILD
Underage marriage is a global issue, it remains prevalent worldwide despite laws against it in some parts of the world. According to the UNFPA, 1 in 5 young women in the Arab world are married before the age of 18 years and 1 in 25 young women are married before the age of 15 years. Although research has been done to study the effects of underage marriage on the health of the woman and her subsequent children, there has been no accessible research done in Libya- our research aims to help fill that gap. This study goes over preexisting literature to define underage marriage, the reasons behind it, its affects on the health of young women and their children, and studied 50 cases of underage marriage in the city of Zawia. The results showed that underage marriage was more common in rural areas. Moreover, there was an increased rate of delivery by c-section in these women, perinatal hemorrhaging, severe anemia, vitamin deficiencies, depression, and anxiety.
Keywords: Underage; Marriage, Health; Mother, Child; Anemia; Vitamin Deficiencies; C-Section; Hemorrhage; Depression; Anxiety.