Illiteracy as a Risk Factor Associated With the Practice of Child Marriage in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan.

Abstract

The study was quantitative and cross-sectional in nature which aimed to reconnoiter that how Illiteracy is a major contributor and risk factor for practicing Child Marriage. The study was carried out in major four tehsils out of seven of Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. The data were collected from 200 males and females (100 each) Child Marriage practitioners selected using purposive sampling technique through interview schedule. The results demonstrated that the majority of the respondents were belonging to age group i.e. 16-27 years. With respect to education majority of the respondents were illiterate, by profession majority was laborers and farmers and they were living in joint family system. Majority of families were consisting of 11 to 15 members. As far as their income is concerned the majority was earning 20,000 to 30,000 per PKR month on average. Furthermore, the study found a strong relationship between education and child marriage practices while the gender of the participants was used as a control variable. However in the selected tehsils the law and order situation was relatively better but overall results proclaimed that child marriage practices were very common and moreover found highly significant with the lower education. The findings also showed that the association between youth education and child marriage practices was observed more significant for the female participant as compare to male participant.