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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums11 Year Old Child Bride Speaks Out
(Fuck Religion)
An 11 year-old Yemeni girl has drawn the world's attention to the issue of child brides after denouncing her arranged marriage in an impassioned video online.
In a remarkable video first posted to LiveLeak, 11-year-old Nada Al-Ahdal fiercely declared: "I am not an item for sale, I'm a human being and I would rather die than get married at this age."
She tells the camera how she ran away to her uncle's house after her family married her off to an older man for money.
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Damn. When that vid was originally posted it sounded like she'd escaped with her uncle.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)MariaThinks
(2,495 posts)are culpable in all these wonderful children being killed around the world. In case anyone hasn't 'noticed', there is a common culture and religion that is involved.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)The sickest part of this story-
The old man her family married her off to raped her on their wedding night- His FUCKING MOM held her arms down while he did it. Sick fucks
The story of Nujood Ali, a young girl married off at 8 then raped and beaten by her husband, shocked the international community recently. But child marriage remains a legal and common practise in Yemen.
"He sexually assaulted me on the wedding night. His mother was holding me," remembers Nujood. Traumatised, she sought refuge from her relatives but was turned away for fear of shaming the family. With no one to rely on but herself, she took a taxi to court where a judge, outraged by her story, granted her a divorce. But Nujood was lucky in a country which does not recognise marital rape as a crime and has no minimum marriage age. A reform to introduce it was blocked last year by Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood. "Islam doesn't specify an age for marriage. Why make a problem out of nothing?" asks one member of Yemen's parliament. Nujood is set on fighting child marriage in Yemen when she grows up; but with an estimated half of all brides aged below 18 and many families hoping to alleviate poverty with dowries, she faces a bitter struggle.
JudyM
(29,237 posts)Positively sickening system... That is supported by RELIGION.
ieoeja
(9,748 posts)Those are the mainstream rules for some religions.
Sub-Sahara Africa has the highest rate. South Asia has the largest absolute number of any region.
There are, of course, plenty of examples of such practice occurring outside the dominant culture. Jerry Lee Lewis married a 13 year old. That fundamentalist Mormon compound had child marriages. The Branch Dividians practiced it. There have been instances in the Amish community.
For under 13 year old marriages, I have 'noticed' the common culture is "a secluded enclave" and the common religion is "fundamentalist".
There. You don't have to be coy about it. And I'm not sure why you think it is politically incorrect to note these observable truths.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)There are certain norms that are not, never have been, and never will be "relative" and the way women and girls are treated in that culture represents some of the very worst of which humans - I use the term loosely - are capable. But some would say we are "imposing imperialistic western norms."
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)They are effing CHILDREN for god's sake! I am sorry, but there really is something wrong with this part of the world.
CanonRay
(14,101 posts)Religion and/or "culture" is no excuse.
LeftishBrit
(41,205 posts)Poor little girl.
Rather than 'fuck religion', I'd say 'fuck the mediaeval attitude, still too prevalent in many cultures, that females are the property of their menfolk'. But sometimes the two go together.
Here's a link to a human rights campaign against this awful practice. I'm linking to a campaign about Yemen, but there are many places all over the world where such things happen:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/04/27/yemen-end-child-marriage
More generally, there are some good organizations that support women's rights worldwide. Here is a link to one that I support:
https://www.womankind.org.uk/
lpbk2713
(42,757 posts)They hide behind religion to mask their child predator natures.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)the sooner we can evolve away from this BS, the better