A girl starts dreaming about her wedding at a very young age. What her dress will look like, what the color scheme will be, what kind of flowers she’ll have, and ultimately who her prince charming will be. Yet, in many parts of the world, young girls don’t dream about their wedding… They experience it.
About a month ago I stumbled upon a news article on the internet about a young girl in Yemen dying from internal bleeding that she suffered on her wedding night. The young girl, only eight years old, her prince charming… five times her age. Reading Persepolis, I learned more about the Middle East, and some of the very strict customs they follow. This reminded me of the article I read, so I decided to do more research about the issue of child brides in the Middle East.
The young girl named Rawan was from a small town in Yemen called Hardh. It is not uncommon in Yemen for girls to be wed at such a young age, especially to older men. In an article written by Mohammed Jamjoom and Hakim Almasmari for CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/meast/yemen-child-bride/index.html it is reported that “According to rights group Human Rights Watch, more than half of all young girls there are married before age 18. About 14% of girls in Yemen are married before age 15”.
Coming from such a developed nation like Canada, it is sickening to think that these girls are forced to get married and have a family, before they are even reach their teens. My stomach churns at the thought of getting married at the age of 18, yet some of these girls have multiple children by the time they turn 18. Almost all of these marriages are forced, with the girl’s family receiving money from the groom to be. The thought of not being able to have a say in who you marry, or what age you marry at, is such a foreign idea to me. Yet around the world, predominantly in countries of the Middle East, India, and many countries in Africa, it is a practiced tradition.
On July 21st 2013, a video on YouTube sparked controversy when a young girl the age of 11, named Nada Al-Ahdal spoke out about her family’s plan for her to be wed, and how she was not going to allow that. The video has been viewed over 8 million times and has created an international debate over marriage laws in Yemen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7_TKgw1To
Nada Al-Ahdal’s courage to run away from her family and speak out about the injustice is incredibly admirable. At only 11 years old Nada Al-Ahdal she should be a role model for all of us. Nada spoke about wanting education, not a marriage. “Death would be a better option for me” Nada exclaims, “What about the innocence of childhood? What have the children done wrong so that you would marry them off like that?” It truly makes me think about how incredibly blessed I am to live in a country like Canada, and not have to worry about the hardships many young girls face in this world. Child brides are a very serious issue in the world, and laws need to be established to help protect these girls.