Child marriage

It means nothing less then someone’s future flying away. Forever.

It’s not about poverty, that’s just an excuse. It’s about culture: 700 millions girls are / have been involved. They’ll stop going to school, probably face domestic abuse and early pregnancy without the choice of whom to marry. All their rights denied, nothing left, except the right to exist (if they don’t commit suicide). All under our noses.

I know, it’s fuelled by poverty, wherefore is one less mouth to feed: but is it the real reason or is more attributable to long-held beliefs and traditions based on gender inequality? Meaning that becoming a wife and mother is often deemed a daughter’s only choice, to the point that by 2050 an additional 1,2 billion girls worldwide will be married before their 18^th birthday. India surpasses any other countries by a wide margin: about 40 percent of all child marriages take place there.

When we say child marriage we might think by age 18. Right, that would be so easy, so convenient, so easily justifiable: you know…it also happens here (referring to developed Countries). I’m sorry to disappoint but we’re talking about one in nine girls by age 15 or even younger: this means “child”, you see? Some of them, based on broadly very well documented cases are even as young as eight or nine!

All those children without education will remain poor for the rest of their lives, without better paid works, no decision making in their communities, left at increased risks of diseases, without preparation for adulthood, a proper ability to create a family inside a sane community, isolated, exposed to a higher risk of injuries / abuses, even more likely to die in childbirth. Their first sexual experience will be forced (the correct term is RAPED), with all the traumatic psychological consequences connected.

Based on what? The REAL reason is culture.

How do we solve this problem then? In my view forget more laws: they already are in place and…meaningless/useless. In many countries child marriage is prohibited, but existing laws are often not enforced exactly because of parental consent, traditions, customary laws. The more is tolerated, the more it becomes easier for others to perpetrate illegal human rights violations.

And instead of diminishing poverty it perpetuates it: married girls leave school and will lack the skills to lift their families out of poverty. My opinion is that it can be solved with shame. Shame on those parents who allow their children to get married so young! Shame on their future husbands! Shame on them! They should feel so ashamed to the point of wishing suicide for such actions (they’ll never get to that because they haven’t human feelings). That gives you the perfect idea of what I mean. Eradicate even the concept of child marriage.

That is just my idea. The complex mix of cultural and economic factors mean there is not a single, simple solution. The pressure to solve this problem must be global: connecting and amplifying all our voices through civil society organizations across the entire world like “Girls Not Brides”. Sensitize everyone you know involved, talk with them, make them understand, force them with ANY possible means to change: NOT ideas, but a deeply shattering culture to be ashamed of.

The definition of child must be universal. So far, we’ve all failed. The right to free and full consent to a marriage is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Period. That’s how it should be. Until all our attitudes don’t change, nothing will change. Think about it, don’t be passive, at least through social networks spread awareness.

“I was really in need of money and thought it was a solution for the family”: Abdul Mohammed Ali, father of a married nine-year-old girl in Yemen.

“Islamic law allows marriage not by age but by maturity, which is attained once a girl reaches the age of puberty”: Sani Ahmed Yerima, Nigerian Senator.

….Always humble,

Angiolino