Child marriages more prevalent than most people would think
Have you ever heard of an 8-year-old girl marrying a 40-year-old man? As crazy as such a pairing may sound, relationships like this do exist.
What’s even crazier is that the parents of the children allow for it to happen.
I was blown away after reading in the news recently that an 8-year-old Yemeni girl died due to internal bleeding and a uterine rupture, which was presumably caused by — get this — intercourse on her wedding night.
When does marriage become a human rights issue? Clearly most children under the age of 18 do not know what marriage means or the expectations of its participants. In third world countries, children, especially girls, are seen as a commodity.
What is it going to take for their governments not to turn a blind eye to this atrocity? When will governments step in and help their people who are struggling economically? Many families believe that the only way out of financial struggle is to marry their daughters off to some man who can give the family a hefty dowry.
Young girls should not have to be sold off (yes, I said sold) to the highest bidder to ease her family’s economic hardships.
All of the weddings that I’ve attended involved two consenting adults who came together with joy on their wedding day wanting to create memories that last a lifetime.
I’m further irritated by the fact there isn’t greater concern about this practice by everyone!
Young girls are taken out of school and deprived of their chance to gain an education where they would learn basic health practices to keep themselves safe.
At such a young age most of these girls are pressured into having unprotected sexual intercourse multiple times, resulting in multiple pregnancies. This is destructive to their under-developed bodies.
Regardless of cultural differences, there needs to be some general consensus among all human beings as to what constitutes a marriage and what constitutes slavery.
If there’s some correlation between marriage and commerce, then Merriam-Webster needs to make it clear. Please!
Adora Mack can be reached by email at [email protected].