Are still far to common. I just heard this story, on NPR. The best way to try to curtail these marriages is via education, educating the girls and making families realize there is VALUE in an educated girl beyond simply marriage.
It's a complex problem - social pressure, poverty, etc. enter in to it and in most of the societies where it is still occurring, women have little value - even to the point of infanticide for girl babies.
I thought this was interesting because of the way they are trying to change attitudes in these small villages, and what charities are doing to keep these girls in school and out of early marriage. India has laws against child marriage, but they are difficult to enforce or just not enforced, particularly out in the rural areas.
The first story is how the father of a child bride then decided to try to save her and end the practice.
A Father Vows To Save His Daughter From A Marriage He Forced Her Into
The number of women married before 15 in some of those countries is dismally high, and their future prospects are usually grim.
It's a complex problem - social pressure, poverty, etc. enter in to it and in most of the societies where it is still occurring, women have little value - even to the point of infanticide for girl babies.
I thought this was interesting because of the way they are trying to change attitudes in these small villages, and what charities are doing to keep these girls in school and out of early marriage. India has laws against child marriage, but they are difficult to enforce or just not enforced, particularly out in the rural areas.
The first story is how the father of a child bride then decided to try to save her and end the practice.
A Father Vows To Save His Daughter From A Marriage He Forced Her Into
...At first, he says, the resistance seemed insurmountable. "The fear is that if a girl studies she'll have a mind of her own," says Lumbaram.
Lumbaram would counter that with a little schooling, your girl can earn money. She could get a job as a community health aide or a teacher or even a police officer. And, Lumbaram tells the other fathers, she'll gain a sense of self-confidence that is actually good to have — for example if her husband turns out to be an abusive drunk, an educated girl would not be afraid to speak up for herself. She would know her rights; she would tell you what's happening — even go to the police if need be.
The head of the charity that runs the boarding school, Mahendra Sharma, says Lumbaram has become an invaluable recruiter. "He is a kind of role model for his community," says Sharma.
This village has now sent more girls to the school than any other in the area — 35, all of them child brides. And earlier this year, Lumbaram persuaded a bunch of the fathers of young girls in the village to publicly declare that from now on they won't marry off any more underage daughters. "The mistake that I made," says Lumbaram. "No one else will repeat it."...
Why This Child Bride Needs Good Grades: #15GirlsLumbaram would counter that with a little schooling, your girl can earn money. She could get a job as a community health aide or a teacher or even a police officer. And, Lumbaram tells the other fathers, she'll gain a sense of self-confidence that is actually good to have — for example if her husband turns out to be an abusive drunk, an educated girl would not be afraid to speak up for herself. She would know her rights; she would tell you what's happening — even go to the police if need be.
The head of the charity that runs the boarding school, Mahendra Sharma, says Lumbaram has become an invaluable recruiter. "He is a kind of role model for his community," says Sharma.
This village has now sent more girls to the school than any other in the area — 35, all of them child brides. And earlier this year, Lumbaram persuaded a bunch of the fathers of young girls in the village to publicly declare that from now on they won't marry off any more underage daughters. "The mistake that I made," says Lumbaram. "No one else will repeat it."...
The number of women married before 15 in some of those countries is dismally high, and their future prospects are usually grim.
