Socio-cultural factors associated with child marriage in Kabowa Parish, Rubaga Division

Abstract

The study focused on assessing the social cultural factors associated with child marriage. The study was conducted in Kabowa parish. The objectives of the study were; to assess the social cultural factors associated with child marriage within Kabowa parish and these included poverty, social media and scamming tactics. Another objective was; to examine the meanings attached to child marriage and these included, immaturity, stigmatization, forced and intergenerational dependency. The study involved 2 other objectives; to identify the social norms that protect children from child marriage within Kabowa parish and these were education, counselling and guidance, prohibition of local cinema halls and parents acting as security agents, the last objective was to examine the factors that contribute to child marriage which included the decline in societal values, peer influence, cultural perceptions and the societal attitudes. The study findings also included the measures undertaken to control the occurrence of child marriage, though it wasn’t listed as an objective, the measures employed were community policing, advocacy and empowerment, sensitization and awareness. In conclusion the findings of the study showed how child marriage was strongly backed by the culture of Kabowa parish and how the different individuals perceived it as wrong, but not much attention was accorded to it.