文档介绍：Since its foundation in 1954, the United Nations has written into its major covena nt s （契约）the need to est abli sh minimum ages for marriage・ Eut the custom of marriage is a highly sensitive cultural issue, mainly because it is so unpleasantly involved with womens rights and societai traditions and practices, and rules on marriage vary widely between countries・ Some countries, particularly in West Africa, still do not have a legal minimum age for marriage・
In the West, a 13-year-old is still considered a child・ Even getting married in one， s late teens is not usually encouraged because married life is likely to int erf ere with a young woman? s educa tion and consequen tly res trie t opportunities in later life ・ And there are also physical dangers in giving birth so young・ The World Health Organization has over the past ten years identified early childbirth as a major cause of female mortality in many countries・
Under Islamic religious law, the age of consent for sex and marriage is puberty, which Muslims say is in harmony with the biological transition from childhood into adulthood・ In Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan, the age of puberty at around 13 or 14 is the legal age for marriage, but in Turkey it is 15, and in Egypt and Tunisia, 18 the same minimum age as in many Western countries・ It is argued that by allowing earlier marriages, Islamic law is prom oting st able rela tio nships, while Wes tern laws are encouraging promi scu ity among young people. In many countries, the trends of urbanization and education for girls have seen a drop in the number of child brides・ However, early marriages continue to occur in poor rural areas, where socie ty works very much on personal arrangemen t bet ween families, villages and communities・ And it doesn，t only happen in countries which don，t have a legal minimum age・ In India, for example, the legal age of marriage for a girl is 18 and to a boy, 21. Yet, according to government statistics, 18 pe