Category: Child Marriage

The Importance of Educating Women

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By Taylor Smith

 

Many women all over the world value education above all else, but they are denied the opportunity to attend school.. A girl named Faith from Maasai Mara, Kenya, wanted an education, but when she turned 13, her father decided that it was time for her to marry and that she needed to stay home. He even doubled her chores so that she would not have time to study during the day. Faith did not give up and worked through all hours of the night completing her chores so that she could study during the day. Faith applied to a secondary school called Kisaruni. Unfortunately, she was unable to get in because her grades were not good enough. She went into a deep depression and her father hated to see her like that. He knew that she could have gotten into the school if she had more support and time to study. He had a change of heart and Faith was able to study and bring up her grades which eventually lead to her acceptance. Faith later went on to graduate because she never gave up fighting for her right to an education. If Faith had not fought for herself, she would have been married at 13 and would have had to rely on her husband for support. Now since Faith graduated, she can go on to have a job, gain independence for herself, and have control over her own life.

 

In 2019, 9 million girls at the primary age level were not in school, compared to the 3 million boys. But why is that? One reason is early childhood marriage. There are many cultural and religious reasons why childhood marriage is practiced today. One major reason is poverty. Parents can sell a child into marriage to settle debts or gain income for the in-laws although doing this puts the child at risk of never gaining an education and not being able to get a proper job to make a steady source of income. So, because of childhood marriage there is also a cycle of poverty that will not be broken unless something changes.

 

One other reason for girls not attending school is child labor. Sometimes parents might need children to help around the house in order to provide for them. Lots of times this work is seen as women’s work and the parents keep the daughter home over the son because a male’s education is seen as having more value than a female. So, the daughter stays home and helps with chores while sons go to school.

 

Another reason why girls are not going to school is pregnancy. The school may have rules restricting pregnant girls from attending, sometimes girls may not go because of embarrassment or stigma facing them. According to the World Health Organization one million girls under the age of 15 and 16 million girls from ages 15-19 are pregnant. Having to look after a baby is a full-time job so going to school or even classes can be impossible for them.

 

Yet it is well documented by economists and social scientists that educating girls leads to major benefits for society. The health and safety of these girls is increased with education. Women who are not educated are less likely to seek out medical help for themselves and their families. Mothers who are educated are also more likely to get their children immunized. Educating women on sexual health is also a huge benefit. Having the knowledge to prevent sexual diseases and pregnancy give women a huge advantage in gaining autonomy for themselves. Learning about different contraceptive methods allows women to see which ones work for their body and lifestyle. This also gives women a safe place to ask questions about sexual health. With parents or relatives there might be a fear or certain rules that stops girls asking those sorts of questions. Having a safe place to learn about such important information is crucial for girls to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

 

Women who go to school are more likely to have successful careers. That means that women can afford places to live, provide for themselves and their families, and can save for the future. More women having jobs and making money means more people spending money. More spending means more money going back into the economy. Women who make money will also have more confidence and will be willing to speak up more. This will allow more women to be in a leadership role in their everyday lives. Companies also tend to have better results when there is diversity. Hearing different opinions from different voices makes sure that all ideas are thought about and reviewed. In companies with some leadership roles filled with women the results for that company are better.

 

The biggest challenge that people have to overcome in order to fix the lack of women’s education is the stigma that women do not deserve to be educated. For centuries men have been seen as the “better” gender. It’s almost as if women are a subsection of humans instead of just seen as human. The best way to battle that mindset is get people all over the world educated on the different benefits that come from treating women the way they should, which is equal. To do that there needs to be funding to women’s programs of all kinds, but most importantly funding for women’s education. Education can and should give women all over the world the necessary skills for them to be the best versions of themselves.

 

What’s something that we can do to help this issue? The Malala Fund is an organization that is fighting for women’s education all over the world. The Malala Fund does this by investing in local education advocates, by advocating to hold leaders accountable, and by making sure women’s voices are heard. Investing in local advocates the Malala fund is making sure the people who best know these girls are getting the funding they need in order really make change happen. Holding leaders accountable is crucial because laws can be placed but that doesn’t mean that these laws are being enforced. Making sure women’s voices are heard is a great way to make sure people know the types of issues that women are facing when it comes to their education, what is causing the issues, and what can be done to fix them. To know more about the Malala Fund

visit https://malala.org/

 

Taylor Smith is a senior at East Carolina University who is set to graduate May 2020 with a BS in Communication. She plans to work at The Center for Leadership in Cary, NC, and to further her education in Communication.

 

The Cataclysmic Ripples of War in the Lives of Women and Children

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By Alexis Bullin

Trigger Warning: This contains discussion including sexual violence, abuse, warfare, and death.

“I was thirteen when the war spread to my city. I was kidnapped by four sol

diers who locked me in a house where I was raped every day by

different men for eight months. I had a miscarriage while I was there. When the war ended, soldiers wearing unfamiliar uniforms came and told me to go home, but my city had been destroyed and

my family was dead. I moved to Sweden with a man I trusted, and he sold me to a pimp in Stockholm. Later the police sent me back to my country, but I am still afraid to go outside, because I worry that everyone can tell what happened just by looking at me”. The encounter above is told by Suada, a woman from Bosnia-Herzegovina. This encounter is similar for many women and children globally. Manipulation and violation perpe

tuated through war is a growing threat. The instability of war leads to the victimization of women and children in the wake of warfare perpetuating the manipulation of women and children through sexual assault/violence, forced militar

y recruitment, human trafficking and displacement.

Women are often the victims of violence during warfare. They can be killed or maimed but they also suffer sexual violence through war rape. Many times, soldiers view rape as a way to terrorize and humiliate the male members of enemy groups. But women bear the consequences which can include pregnancies and psychological trauma. Women and children are also used for forcible impregnation causing them to bear their rapists’ children. The US labels this a form of implicit genocide, where the rapists take over the bodies of their victims and act to exterminate the indigenous population.

forced pregnancy – a tactic that has been recorded historically and used by Genghis Khan. Forced pregnancy is a form of enacting genocide or slavery. These various attacks and violations against women and children are used as an extension of the battlefield.

In addition, women and children are often forced into serving the military goals of the enemy as forced soldiers or terrorist instruments. Attacks such as these have been seen during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women and children are forcibly recruited and used to facilitate armed conflict and terrorist attacks. This is a direct violation of human right as well as the murder of millions of women and children. Forced soldiers lose their rights to healthcare, education, and autonomy; working against their will, wounding themselves and others.

The political and economic instability of war creates the conditions leading to increased labor and sexual trafficking of women and children. Human trafficking is a global threat, however, areas that are riddled with warfare are subject to exponential spikes in activity. Many women and children are sold or forced into the sex trade. This trade sustains the sexual and mental abuse of women and children. In many places, prostitution is considered illegal and punishable, however, human trafficking is widely tolerated by governmental officials and police. This is true for many areas post-war.

Finally, women and children, are often displaced from their homes and livelihoods after war and bear a disproportionate burden of trying to find sustenance and support for their families. Poverty and displacement effects women and children at a disproportional rate. With the destruction of property, women and children often fall into the direct disadvantage of displacement and poverty. This is often the result of little to no governmental or monetary protection provided to women and children. Women’s responsibilities following war are formidable, considering women are expected to be peacemakers that maintain order on a familial and communal level. Often underrepresented, women and children find themselves excluded from governmental protection. This omittance of protection amplifies the stress and trauma that women and children face in the wake of warfare.

Women and children face adversity daily; however, these adverse circumstances are amplified in the face of war. Using women and children as an extension of the battlefield, whether through sexual violence, forced labor/recruitment, human trafficking or displacement is malice in its deepest form. For too long women and children have been the scape goats for violence and extremism, therefore something has to change. March Twelfth of this year the United Nations met to discuss the threat associated with war that women and children face. Within the next year, they plan to allocate and demand legislation that will protect women and children from the catastrophe and trauma of war. “To the best of my knowledge, no war was ever started by a woman. But it is women and children who have always suffered most in situations of conflict” – Aung Sun Suu Kyi.

 

Alexis Bullin is a Senior at East Carolina University. Graduating with a Bachelor of the arts in Anthropology, Alexis’ main interests are Middle/Near Eastern Ethno-Archaeology, the cross-cultural treatment of women, and the effects of warfare. In her free time, she loves gardening and songwriting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Walk to Beautiful: Addressing Obstetric Fistula

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The Nova documentary, A Walk to Beautiful, follows three Ethiopian women on their journey to find a cure for injuries they sustained during childbirth that have left them incontinent and shunned by their husbands and the communities in which they live. Why is obstetric fistula known as the silent epidemic and why does it disproportionately effect women in the developing world? Why do some of the women in this film say that death would be preferable to living with fistula? If you were tasked with doing something to help prevent this problem in countries like Ethiopia, what would you do–where would you begin and why?

Difret: Changing Child Marriage and Bride Abduction Customs

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The feature film, Difret, produced by Angelina Jolie, portrays the real-world court case defending the Ethiopian girl Hirut  from a murder charge when she killed the rapist who abducted her. The film brings to light the ongoing issue of child marriage in many parts of the world. This custom of abduction of young girls disrupts their education and chances for a better life, leading to early pregnancies, poor health outcomes and continuing poverty for them and their children.

Advocates for change in these customs realize the need to understand and change male attitudes and cultures of masculinity. What varying models and representations of masculinity do you see in this film? How do you think these models will continue to strengthen or change in the aftermath of Hirut’s case? What would you recommend to try and change these cultures of masculinity that perpetuate child marriage?

Child Marriage in Afghanistan

By Asha Allamby

Soon to be wed Faiz Mohammed, 40, and Ghulam Haider 11, Ghowr Province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Stephanie Sinclair)

 

Beaten, molested, and imprisoned. These are just a few of the consequences that are all too familiar among child brides in Afghanistan. The majority of these girls have been married off before they are legally able to do so, as was the case with Ghulam Haider pictured above. The combination of poverty and limited education are just a few factors driving the high rates of child marriage in Afghanistan.

Child marriages continue to thrive in developing countries in the African and Southeast Asian regions of the world. Despite efforts from Afghanistan’s government to establish a legal age at which girls can marry, the tradition of child marriages continues to flourish. A girl may be married off young due to costs of bride price, dowry or to settle a blood feud. After decades of war, many Afghanistan families find themselves severely impoverished and feel that their daughters are a financial burden. They may choose to marry them off young to receive a bride price or to pay a low dowry to the groom and his family. Some families cannot afford a dowry so they exchange young female members of the family in an act known as badal. Lastly, when girls are given to other families to settle a dispute, the act is known as baad. This is considered one of the most abusive customs towards young girls. In- laws take out anger on the young bride because she is a constant reminder of a family member they lost.

One of the major hurdles in tackling child marriage in Afghanistan is attempting to close the loopholes around the age for which a child can marry. The laws currently allow a girl to get married as young as 15 with parental consent. Even so, how is it possible most girls get married before the age of 15?

Afghanistan is considered an Islamic state meaning it the government is influenced by Islam. In the Quran, Islam’s religious text, a child is suitable to marry after her first menstruation. The problem arises when a girl as young as 9 has her first menstruation. She is then considered old enough to marry, even to someone old enough to be her father.

Unfortunately, data on child brides can sometimes be hard to retrieve as marriages do not have to be registered to the state in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, 40 percent of girls are married between the ages of 10 and 14. In extreme cases, they were married to someone 50 years older. Once married, child brides often become victims of domestic violence from their spouses and in-laws. They are beaten, raped, neglected and subjected to servitude. If they run away, they may be subjected to imprisonment. Each year 2,400 women turn to self- immolation to escape their abusive husbands. Child brides have profound impacts on their health physically, sexually and psychologically. Child marriage is a clear violation of human rights.

Because Afghanistan is a patriarchal society, men dominate every aspect of women’s lives. This results in child brides not being able to finish their educations. They are cut out of the public sphere and socializing with people their own age. Men, whether their husbands, brothers, or fathers, determine if a child will receive adequate health care during the time of child birth. A girl’s lack of access to health care is particularly alarming during child birth because she is five times more likely to die if she gives birth before she is 15 years old. Child marriages and reduced access to health services has a direct link to the child being malnourished or premature.

One solution to ending the child bride epidemic would be to identify where girls are more at risk of being forced in child marriages so that prevention programs could be started. Additionally, it is imperative that Afghanistan’s government and religious leaders condemn the practice. Child marriage is also continuing to be a viewed as a women’s issue, deterring men from stopping the practice. Men and women alike must be educated about the harm of child marriages. There are currently two organizations dedicated to fighting against forced child marriage. One is Save Your Rights (http://www.saveyourrights.org ), which works internationally, and Women for Afghan Women (http://www.womenforafghanwomen.org), which works on a broad agenda of women’s rights within Afghanistan. Check them out if you want to get involved.

Asha Allamby is a graduating senior at East Carolina University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. She intends to get her MS in Social Work so she can further assist disadvantaged minority populations in the U.S and abroad

The (Un)Happy Tale of Nigerian Women

Leangei Gomez Nuñez

The PM News (Nigerian News) reported that a man named M.Y. murdered his wife on the 17th of November 2011 for refusing to have sex with him. He was sent to the prison by the Ilorian Magistrate Court [PM News, 2012]

            One in every four women in Nigeria experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. Many have also undergone female genital mutilation,  and eighty-eight percent of young girls have been married too young. All of this violence towards women can be accounted for by Nigerian patrilocal customs. Their customs dictate that women are subordinate to men and must do as their father and husbands command. According to Ifemeje, men expect obedience from their wives and have sexual rights to them. Husbands, therefore, can physically assault and rape their wives if they feel as if a wife is not fluffing her obligations to him. This is a major issue for these women as these forms of violence that they are been submitted to are not seem as a problem but rather normal.

Nigerian women also suffer from female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is practiced throughout the country, with the exception of one ethnic group. Different ethnic groups practice different forms of FGM with clitoridectomies being more common in the south and infibulation in the north. According to Okeke, the practice has been attributed to the preservation of chastity, family honor, and protection of promiscuity as well as the control of sexual attitudes.

Child marriage is another phenomenon that has deep roots in the Nigerian customs. The country has one of the highest rates in the world, with 88% of young girls being married before the age of 16. Families believe that by marrying their daughters they will be protected and supported. This, however, puts them as a higher risk to be physically, sexually, and psychologically abused by their partners.

Cultural views and lack of income are said to be the main factors contributing to violence against women. Most Nigerians live in systems of patrilineal kinship with wives moving to live with the families of their husbands after marriage. In this system, men have power and control over women and it is considered normal to physically punish wives if they are not following orders or behaving appropriately. Social customs also dictate that young wives must be initiated into sex often by force or rape. This sexual abuse continues throughout the marriage. Although these are clear forms of abuse, they are not view as problems or crimes because of cultural views regarding gender roles.

Income has also been noted to play a major part when it comes to domestic violence. According to Gage and Thomas, the loss of employment and of the breadwinner role have been noted as a stressor in marital relationships. Women who earn an income are at higher risk of being physically attacked by their husbands. This is because when women become the providers and are more economically independent, men may respond by using violence to keep hold of their hierarchy and compensate for the loss of the breadwinner role.

Although prevention and resolution of violence against women are harder to achieve because many times the acts are not reported, there are many campaigns that are fighting to put an end to these issues. The Nigerian government has implemented policies to out end to them. In 2015, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition act was adopted which prohibits female genital mutilation, harmful widowhood practices, harmful traditional practices and all forms of violence against persons in both private and public life. The state of Ekiti has stablished a Gender-Based Violence Fund to provide basic material support for victims; here they receive free shelter and vocational training. Lagos government has outline plants to establish a Fund to pay for free legal services to women and children suffering violence. Even with government there are still many challenges ahead both legally and culturally.

 

Leangei Gomez is a Senior at ECU majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in culture and a minor in history. She is graduating in May 2018, and hopes to join the Peace Corp in 2020 before applying for Grad School. Leangei hopes to work in bettering education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Child marriage in the United States…girls marrying their rapists

Yes, this happens here. We have been discussing women and the law in class.

What questions does this story raise for you regarding women (and girls) and the law? Further, what are the surrounding and background societal environments that impede on the law and its enforcement (or lack thereof)?

Does anyone have a story from anyone you know that bears any similarities to this?

15-Year-Old Girls May Have Married their Rapists

a boy and a girl sitting on a bench: Shane Stracener of Kennett, Mo., was 15 in 2014 when he married his girlfriend, Christy, who was 17 and pregnant. The couple now have 2-year-old Isaac Lee (left) and 3-year-old Faith Renee.