About 3,000 early marriages registered in Kazakhstan annually

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Around 3,000 early marriages are registered in Kazakhstan every year, Kazinform reports citing Member of the National Commission for Women's Rights Assiya Khairullina as saying at a roundtable meeting on gender equality of girls in Kazakhstan being held in Astana today.

According to her, approximately 2,000.000 teen girls are living in Kazakhstan today who face not only physical and psycho-emotional problems but also those types of discrimination and violence, unfortunately, existing in Kazakhstan. "Early and forced marriages are still practiced in Kazakhstan. Thus, about 3,000 early marriages are recorded every year across the country. 2,420 pregnant teenagers were recorded in Kazakhstan as of July 1, 2015. The youngest mother of Kazakhstan is 13 years old. As per legal statistics, the law-enforcement structures revealed 726 sexual crimes committed against minors in 2015" she noted. In her opinion, the roots of forced marriages lie in psychological immaturity and social vulnerability of teenagers, especially, girls.