Millions of African girls are becoming wives every year. In Niger, about 75% of girls will become child brides before they turn 18. In Chad and the Central African Republic the figure is 68%.
– The Conversation
For what is beyond my understanding, Child Marriages (especially in African countries) are now seen as something normal as an achievement for most girls! It has become a norm that girls that drop out school due to financial constraints or don’t have the opportunity to enter school and end up viewing marriage as their salvation. Is this really what we have become? How do the parents of these live with themselves, giving their daughters away huh? It it’s beyond sad and disturbing. I get so angry thinking about it I could almost literally explode right now!
What is more ridiculous is that some countries still allow this absurd form of marriage. Child marriage is all kinds of torture. This is not right at all people Who in their normal sense allow their 15 year old daughter to be given away to an old man? Like seriously how can they not see anything wrong with that?
Did you know that the legal minimum age of marriage in South Africa is 18 years for boys, and 15 years for girls?
Exceptions can even be granted with the written permission of the Minister or any officer in the public service! I cannot stand this, it is bonafide child molestation and such perpetrators and justifiers belong behind bars!
This is so disgusting, Child Marriage is not the solution it actually means the end of girl’s education aptitude and rights to make life choices and decisions.
Lemme give you a real life heart-wrecking situation, we once had a house helper; a very intelligent young lady much younger than I and due to some financial problems we had to let her go. I was so hurt when I heard that a little beyond a year she was married at 19, worse yet still she was the fourth wife. My heart was broken, all the dreams and aspirations flushed down the drain, often I wish we didn’t let her go, that maybe it would have been a different situation.
It got me thinking about the popular yet backward notion that Child Marriages are a resort to poverty reduction citing “it gives the young woman a better life” yet all they do is perpetuate the cycle of poverty! Let’s get real people, one man taking care of four wives plus who knows how many kids. Really??
Headlines stating in one of our local papers 10 wives living in two rooms!
It’s not practical, it’s patriarchal, an absurdity that needs a recall!
Kudos to women like the Malawian Chief Theresa Kandimoto and activists on the continent making strides to rule out Child Marriages. Our Girls are Not Brides.
Munashe Chakaonda
Dope read