Marriage suicide

In Lyari, an 18-year-old wife committed suicide allegedly after frequent brawls with her husband

Our South Asian culture has made marriage the be-all and end-all of life’s many goals and purposes. In Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood, an 18-year-old wife committed suicide allegedly after frequent brawls with her husband. She succumbed to the pressures of marriage and decided the failure was large enough to take her own life, on Eid day, by jumping off a building. There are several factors to consider here and if some sense of guilt or shame does not come from within, we have some serious introspection to do with respect to what standards we have created to serve as cultural norms and how much pressure that amounts to.

How terrible must the young woman have perceived her life to be? Although the investigation is underway, a nexus between mental health and underage marriage can be drawn here. An 18-year-old woman is still a teenager developing personality and decision-making skills, hence why psychologists contend that 18 is too young an age for marriage. Although changing the mentality of underage marriage will be difficult, awareness needs to spread until pressure surmounts to amend policies. Most provincial laws state girls can marry at age 16, but on a macroeconomic level, this is detrimental as their education is neglected, resulting in bleak career prospects and low self-esteem. Laws should work to defy backward norms and dissuade parents from early marriage.

The impact of marriage on young women’s mental health cannot be underestimated. Their well-being should be supported in our culture, where they are forced to leave their homes and initially live in a house with in-laws who are practically strangers and can be oppressive in some ways, owing to patriarchy. Avenues for dealing with marriage problems need to be established such as marriage counseling and couples’ therapy. The stigma attached to mental health needs to be removed and women — and men — must be allowed to experience and express emotions without judgment.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2018.

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