Too Young To Wed

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Child marriages. Is this a culture we want to keep? Morally, socially, and legally, child marriage is child sexual abuse; it’s child rape; forced labour; sexual violation of the girl, whose scars will last forever. Beneficiaries of these odious unions must be exposed for what they simply are: Criminals and pedophiles hiding behind culture. Child bride is one problem…But imagine a child giving birth to another.

 Extremely young girls are paying the price for poverty and harsh climatic conditions especially in nomadic communities, being married off by their own families, which are struggling to make ends meet. Even in situations where mothers do not want to marry off their daughters, they feel they are left with little choice. Marry your daughter off and these worries are transferred directly to the husband. Child marriage should not be a coping mechanism for poor families. Aren’t these girls put in the way of more danger, from which they can’t escape? A few goats and cows can never compare with the benefits of keeping a child in school.  The harm to children and their families caused by child marriage includes denial to education, serious health consequences including death as a result of early pregnancy, and domestic abuse including violence, and abandonment.

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Let’s be clear, these are children, not women. They are powerless to resist the forces around them to prevent this tragedy. Raise an alarm when you see a 60 year old man trying to marry a 12 year old. We are not living in the Stone Age. We need to stand up and speak against child marriages. It robs little girls of their freedom.

Let’s fight for access to education, water, food, health, security, etc.  All governments need to make concerted efforts to enforce the laws in place; assist the children at risk of child marriages and those already married, enlist activists, community leaders, local government, educators, health care workers, civil society groups and law enforcement in order to change attitudes within the communities.  

#ChildnotBride