Young teens’ wedding photos brings call for investigation

By Kornrawee Panyasuppakun 
The Nation

 

 

Girl, 14, and boy, 16, post photos after getting married in Thailand.

 

A middle-school teen, age 14, posted pictures of her and her newly-wedded husband, 16, at their July 8 marriage ceremony. The teens were said to come from the northeastern province of Chaiyapoom. 

 

She captioned: “We got married because our families want us to do so. And actually isn’t age just a number? Although it is a humble marriage ceremony, this ceremony is extremely precious to us.

 

“Please be with me forever,” she wrote. “The dream that we won’t be apart or forsake each other has came true. I thought we had to wait for 10 or 20 years. Now it took only five or six months before it was realised. 

 

“To have it fulfilled we have fought so hard and been through small disputes. Now we will never let go of each other’s hand,” she concluded.

 

 But Jadeed Chouwilai, president of Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, expressed concern over the marriage. He said the sweet Facebook post was no guarantee that the marriage would be successful.

 

“Marriage needs time to foster. Couples need to get to know each other. Love alone cannot make a marriage last. I wonder if at this age the teen couple has enough life experience to understand that,” he said. 

 

 

Also, the girl’s assertion that age is just a number is not reflected under Thai law. The minimum legal age for marriage is set at 17 in this country.

 

“Authorities from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security need to do something,” Jadeed added. 

 

There are several reasons to be concerned about the marriage, he said.

 

“If the girl gets pregnant and stops going to school, that is the end of her education and she may be stuck in low-paying jobs. And if the marriage does not last, the girl may be left to raise her child alone.”

 

Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation has worked with many survivors of domestic violence.

 

“Some people think that in the ‘upcountry’, families and communities will give a lot of support. But we have seen many domestic-violence cases in the upcountry. And domestic violence among teen couples like those at age 16, 17 or 18 is more prevalent than we think. If they cannot adjust to or deal with stress, this can lead to such problems.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349743

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-11

 

Uptown country living..

Our village had a pregnant 12-year old a few years back.

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

She captioned: “We got married because our families want us to do so. And actually isn’t age just a number?

Yeah just a number, when when those numbers don't add up, reality going to hit you hard on your colectiv assess...

7 minutes ago, missoura said:

Our village had a pregnant 12-year old a few years back.

Did the brother  or uncle get arrested ?

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Also, the girl’s assertion that age is just a number is not reflected under Thai law. The minimum legal age for marriage is set at 17 in this country.

Unless they have a judge's permission, in which case the minimum age for marriage is 13.

(Quick, find a judge!)

2 hours ago, missoura said:

Our village had a pregnant 12-year old a few years back.

 

lol

 

When I read this my thoughts were "she must be pregnant".

 

It's quite often the way up there - get married or the police get involved.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

If the girl gets pregnant and stops going to school, that is the end of her education and she may be stuck in low-paying jobs. And if the marriage does not last, the girl may be left to raise her child alone.”

About the norm for many villages here. Somchai gets bored, forgets his paternal duties because he is a Thai male in a Patriarchal society... finds a Mia Noi, leaves the girl, she gives the child to grandparents, and moves to the city, and we know the rest.....the perpetual wheel goes round....

4 hours ago, webfact said:

I wonder if at this age the teen couple has enough life experience to understand that,” he said.

If he really need to ask that question, I would clearly say that he is the wrong person in the wrong place.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Also, the girl’s assertion that age is just a number is not reflected under Thai law. The minimum legal age for marriage is set at 17 in this country.

The legal aspect in this case can not regard a traditional ceremony. They just can´t register their marriage before they both have reached a minimum age of 17.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Authorities from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security need to do something,” Jadeed added

They can´t, if not a change or an amendment to the existing law is made.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“If the girl gets pregnant and stops going to school, that is the end of her education and she may be stuck in low-paying jobs. And if the marriage does not last, the girl may be left to raise her child alone.”

The above statement has nothing to do with a marriage or not at a young age. Unfortunately young boys between 16-22 in Thailand are very irresposible. Today is widely known they do not care if they use protection or not. That often leads to unwanted pregnacies between unmarried couples or just friends at the same ages. In that case it´s actually better that they are married and their respective families are aware of that fact.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“Some people think that in the ‘upcountry’, families and communities will give a lot of support. But we have seen many domestic-violence cases in the upcountry. And domestic violence among teen couples like those at age 16, 17 or 18 is more prevalent than we think. If they cannot adjust to or deal with stress, this can lead to such problems.”

As if violence and stress should be an age specific thing in any country today? That has no binding to marriage, friendship, age or location.

 

To sum everything up: The law has to be changed. A marriage between a 14 year old girl and a 16 year old boy can never be accepted.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Marriage needs time to foster. Couples need to get to know each other. Love alone cannot make a marriage last.

 

Try to tell that to fat old 'newbie' farang the first time a Thai honey grabs his 'Johnson' in a bar and he falls in love.

1 hour ago, AhFarangJa said:

About the norm for many villages here. Somchai gets bored, forgets his paternal duties because he is a Thai male in a Patriarchal society... finds a Mia Noi, leaves the girl, she gives the child to grandparents, and moves to the city, and we know the rest.....the perpetual wheel goes round....

Yes, i was thinking exactly the same thing,Bar girl in the making.

funnily enough,a good friend of my wife and and i and a good mate of mine's wife,well her sister was early 20'S,and recently split up with her husband,something to do with money he borrowed from a loan shark i was told,anyway it's like he couldn't wait to leave,and was gone the next day,he of course popped up with a new girl days later.She is now working in a soapie place in Bangkok,the young baby is in the care of the family,and they were in their early 20's,14 and 16,no way will it ever work,he will see all his mates knocking off a variety of different girls,and what he at 16/17 is stuck at his in laws[general tradition], with a possibly pregnant wife,one does not need to be Einstien to see this will go wrong.

56 minutes ago, Get Real said:

To sum everything up: The law has to be changed. A marriage between a 14 year old girl and a 16 year old boy can never be accepted.

2

This wasn't a real marriage, no laws were broken.

 

Up in the hill tribe villages there are very few 14 year old girls that aren't holding a baby.

Sometimes the old ways are the ways that work best.

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Unless they have a judge's permission, in which case the minimum age for marriage is 13.

(Quick, find a judge!)

We are talking about legal marriages, and there legal ages are valid.

But if it just a "temple wedding" or whatever, then I presume legal ages don't really matter, do they?

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

This wasn't a real marriage, no laws were broken.

 

Up in the hill tribe villages there are very few 14 year old girls that aren't holding a baby.

Sometimes the old ways are the ways that work best.

Nice to hear that you support this. Unfortunately, I do not know what you are going on about and why you reply like this. Below you will se what I is exactly like you state it, with the simple differens in no lack of moral values.
 

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

The legal aspect in this case can not regard a traditional ceremony. They just can´t register their marriage before they both have reached a minimum age of 17.

 

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

The above statement has nothing to do with a marriage or not at a young age. Unfortunately young boys between 16-22 in Thailand are very irresposible. Today is widely known they do not care if they use protection or not. That often leads to unwanted pregnacies between unmarried couples or just friends at the same ages. In that case it´s actually better that they are married and their respective families are aware of that fact.

After that I sum it up by stating the thing that should be a moral value for all:

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

The law has to be changed. A marriage between a 14 year old girl and a 16 year old boy can never be accepted.

This does not mean that it was a marriage in the eyes of the law. That I already stated in the first comment of the once I cpoied above. What I mean with this is that it has to be a change. For example like including the traditional marriage in the law. That would mean all the monks will not be alble to conduct marriages between people under the age of the law. Another example is to take away the parents conscent under the age of 16.

2 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Yes, i was thinking exactly the same thing,Bar girl in the making.

Not to worry plenty of vacancies in the bars here in Pattaya

Nice to see that the boy hs already been accused and found guilty of beating the wife, getting her pregnant, finding a g/f and leaving his wife, at least give them a chance. 

 

 

 

Brigante7

For the record, they are not married.  They just took part in a traditional ceremony, not a legal marriage ceremony which has to be performed and registered at the local amphur.

She,ll be in Pattaya, after the baby and good old mom will bring it up ahh ?

38 minutes ago, Brigante7 said:

Nice to see that the boy hs already been accused and found guilty of beating the wife, getting her pregnant, finding a g/f and leaving his wife, at least give them a chance. 

 

Sounds nice but reality is she married very young and will eventually re-marry to a 68year old farang to support her kids and go live in UK or Germany.10,000's of these girls do it every year. Theyre all the same.

Quote

 

 

 

Brigante7