NEXT UP! 3 50 Girls Not Brides It is frightening to consider, but around the world fifteen million girls are married off before they turn eighteen. And that is every year. If those numbers are too huge to process, that equals twenty-eight girls every minute. An entire school class of girls. Every minute. Girls in many countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Middle East are in danger of being married without their consent. In developed nations, such as the UK, the US and Australia, despite laws to protect them, young girls are simply taken out of the country to be married. Across the developing world, cultural practices and poverty are the reasons for this statistic. In many communities, a girl is considered a woman when she begins to menstruate, and a menstruating “woman” is considered ready to marry no matter her age. In some instances, girls are thought of as a burden on their family, “things” to be traded and sold. Many more families simply cannot afford to feed their child or buy them clothes to wear. Within certain cultures, a dowry is paid to the girl’s family, which can be much-needed money. Families are often stuck between a rock and a hard place – they either live in extreme poverty together or they sell their child. Being sold into marriage has a disastrous effect on girls’ lives in many ways. Over fifteen million girls will never get to see the inside of a primary school classroom. As education is the key to independence, denying it becomes a way to control girls in many cultures. Child marriage isolates girls from their families and friends, usually ends their education and can become violent and dangerous for many young girls. In fact, the main cause of death for 15- to 19-year-old girls comes from the dangers and complications of early pregnancy and childbirth. But change is in the air. Girls Not Brides is a charity that is paving the way. They are working in partnership with local organisations around the globe to take action against child marriage. They justifiably say that “every girl has the right Before reading Define the term inequality. Write a sentence using this word. Your sentence should make the meaning of the word clear. What types of inequality do you see in the world, and where? Discuss with a partner or jot down your thoughts. further reading to equal – að samsvara entire – allur consent – samþykki despite – þrátt fyrir no matter – skiptir engu máli an instance – tilvik a burden – byrði a dowry – heimanmundur disastrous – skelfilegur Right: A young actress plays the role of Giorgia (10) forced to marry Paolo (47) during an event organised by Amnesty International to condemn child marriage, on 27 October, 2016 in Rome.
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