Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 5
Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well you have achieved its Learning Outcomes by answering these questions. Write your answers in your Study Diary and discuss them with your Tutor at the next Study Support Meeting. You can check your answers with the Notes on the Self-Assessment Questions at the end of this Module.
SAQ 5.1 (tests Learning Outcomes 5.1 and 5.2)
Kedija is a 15-year-old girl living with her parents in a rural village. Her father and mother decide she should marry an older merchant in his 50s who lives in the neighbouring town. Her parents are convinced that she would have a better future if she married an older man.
- a.What does Ethiopian law say regarding forced and early marriage?
- b.Does Kedija have the right to say ‘No’ to the suggestions made by her family?
Answer
- a.The Ethiopian family law protects young women’s rights against forced and early marriages (less than 18 years of age).
- b.Since marriage before the age of 18 is illegal in Ethiopia she has the right to say ‘No’ to such a request. As you have learned in Study Session 1 of this Module, young people have the right to expect and demand equality, full consent and mutual respect in sexual relationships.
SAQ 5.2 (tests Learning Outcomes 5.1 and 5.2)
In Case Study 5.2 you read that Emebet was married when she was 15-years-old. Explain how this early marriage caused her harm.
Answer
Emebet has faced many health consequences of early marriage including having a stillbirth and a vesico-vaginal fistula. These complications needed prolonged treatment and when she returned to her village she found her husband had remarried. As a result of being divorced and ill she developed psychosocial problems including feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression.
Summary of Study Session 5