Suffer the Little Children; The Horrors of Child Marriage

The practice of older males marrying young girls is surprisingly common in many cultures around the world. Even more surprising is that the practice is still occurring here in the United States today. While most westerners find the idea of an adult male marrying and having sex with a child to be taboo, there are many who not only find the practice to be acceptable, but desirable.

Some cultures arrange marriages for their female children even before they are born. According to UNICEF “In developing countries, more than 60 million women aged 20-24 were married/in union before the age of 18. Over thirty-one million of them live in South Asia (UNICEF estimates based on MICS, DHS, and other national surveys, 1987-2006)” (Internet Reference #1).

UNICEF also notes that “Girls living in the poorest 20 per cent of households are more likely to get married at an early age than those living in the wealthiest 20 per cent” (Internet Reference #1). A direct relationship has also been noted between child marriage and lack of education. According to the article, “In Zimbabwe, 48 percent of women who had attended primary school had been married by the age of 18, compared to 87 per cent of those who had not attended school (UNICEF estimated based on DHS 1999)” (Internet Reference #1).

Another important fact worth noting is the fact that these marriages are forced on girls, and not boys. There are many reasons that parents marry off their children as well. UNICEF says that “parents choose to marry off their daughters early for a number of reasons. Poor families may regard a young girl as an economic burden and her marriage as a necessary survival strategy for her family”(Internet Reference #1).

The article continues to say that they may also feel that doing so “offers the care of a male guardian. Child marriage may also be seen as a strategy to avoid girls becoming pregnant outside marriage” (Internet Reference #1). But no matter what the reasons for these marriages which are arranged between grown men and young girls, the detrimental effects of forced marriages on children are many.

UNICEF points out that once the girls have been married, they are much less likely to attend school, will often face increased health risks such as premature pregnancies, sexually-transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and death during or related to childbirth. These girls are often the victims of abuse at the hands of their much older husbands or their families if they resist or refuse to marry. They may even be killed for refusing to cooperate.

In an interview with Congresswoman Betty McCollum, VOANEWS.com spoke about proposals to end child marriage. According to McCollum “It’s mostly a problem in the sub-Saharan region. We find it a problem to be in parts of the Middle East, especially the very rural, very remote parts of the Middle East. And Asia and Africa also—the southern part of Africa—also experiences child marriage” (Internet Reference #2).

These regions generally consist of Muslim communities, where the practice of forcing girls to become child-brides is wide-spread. As mentioned earlier, we see that girls from isolated, rural areas, where education is generally unavailable are much more likely to be forced into marriages at a very young age.

McCollum points out that “It’s a human-rights concern on the face of young girls, children, being forced into having sex. I mean that’s a human-rights issue. It’s forcible rape. It’s an issue for the young girls for their health” (Internet Reference #2).

She goes on to say “Women will tell you that rape is a violent act. Can you imagine being a young girl, ten, eleven, twelve, being forcibly raped? That puts that young person at great risk for a whole host of health problems, both physical and mental” (Internet Reference #2).

Children having babies are at much higher risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery. There are higher risks of health problems for the baby as well as increased risk of infant and maternal death. McCollum goes on to stress just how widespread the practice is, and the dangers associated with it. “I think most people who are really involved in this issue…meet any of these young women who are suffering from fistula due to prolonged childbirth at a young age, girls not in school, seeing a ten-year-old being wed to somebody who’s in their forties, fifties, or sixties—I mean, that tears at the heart of most people” (Internet Reference #2).

The United Nations is working to put an end to this practice around the world in cooperation with leaders of various nations and cultures. The interviewer mentions a situation not long before the interview, “And not long ago in Niger, we had an effort from tribal leaders to push for tight limits on marriage age and trying to reduce child marriage, but they ran up against religious leaders, Muslim clerics, who didn’t want those changes” (Internet Reference #2). The idea that religious leaders would fight efforts to treat young girls humanely in the name of religious beliefs is a horrifying concept.

But as I mentioned earlier, this practice occurs not just in the Muslim religion in less-developed countries, but right here in the United States. McCollum is quick to respond “I think we need to be careful when we talk about religious practices not to single out any one faith group…there are maybe some within the Muslim faith in very remote, very rural areas who haven’t seen how changing and delaying marriage will make the girl healthier…This is not just a challenge for the Muslim faith. This is also a challenge for the Christian faith” (Internet Reference #2).

McCollum is referring in this interview to Christians of various faiths in countries other than the United States, but again, the problem exists here in America such as those in small pockets of polygamous Christian communities such as the one in Utah led by leader, Warren Jeffs who was arrested and charged with child rape.

In a CNN interview, one young woman who escaped from the sect, Sara Hammon describes the horrors of living in a community of multiple wives, child marriages, isolation, and oppression of young girls and women. “Sara Hammon saw some of her sisters pulled out of school to be married to men they didn’t know” (Internet Reference #3). The sect Hammon escaped from was part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke away from the Church of Jesus of Latter Day Saints, due to its disagreement over the right to have plural marriages. The Mormon Church does not condone the practice of polygamy.

What is clear to many is that the practice of polygamy leads to many abuses. Hammon “left behind 19 mothers, 74 siblings, and a father she says could never remember her name, even though he repeatedly molested her. And, she left behind a culture she says was oppressive for young women” (Internet Reference #3).

To most people the idea of having 19 mothers, 74 siblings, and a father who molests his children is disgusting and beyond dysfunctional, but because these children have known little else allows it to continue. What I find more frightening, though, is the fact that this type of generational dysfunction and abuse is allowed to continue, victimizing generation after generation of children right here on American soil in the name of religion.

“Probably the worst part of the whole theology, she said, is the treatment of women and teaching women that they are not equal to men” (Internet Reference #3). By raising children from the time they are young to believe this mantra, the religious leaders are able to brainwash their followers into obeying. Members of the community are told they will go to hell for disobedience. But the girls are not the only victims with regard to these teachings. The boys are also victimized.

Because the doctrine that is forced on the followers of these cult-like sects is designed to enforce the concept of polygamy and the marriage of adult males to many young girls, the boys in the community are pushed out. The boys are not allowed to have relationships with girls their age in their community, as the adult males are saving the girls for themselves. This is where the concept of ‘the lost boys’ comes in. The boys in these religious cults are shunned and left to fend for themselves.

“There was a tremendous amount of abuse in our home. It happened on a daily basis and there [was] all kinds: sexual, physical, emotional, mental. My brothers were sexually abusive. Some of my mothers were physically abusive” (Internet Reference #3). As a victim abuse at the hands of a step-mother, I can understand Hammon’s desire to escape. Her decision to speak out on behalf of other victims speaks to her strength and should be admired, as many victims do not have the strength to escape, nor do they have the strength to share their story.

By speaking out, Hammon does service to former and current victims as well as educating the public about the atrocities that are continuing in the name of religion. For the sake of the children, these practices must be stopped. This is not a matter of religious freedom. The idea that adults would use children who have no knowledge of sexual activity, nor the physical maturity or desire for sex clearly demonstrates that these practices are in place simply for the gratification of the adult males involved.

If this were a natural course of events for human beings, children would reach sexual maturity at the age of 9 or 10, but the fact remains that they do not. Therefore, forcing children into sexual relationships while they are just children is wrong. This is not a cultural or religious issue. It is strictly a human-rights issue. In an effort to stop the suffering of these children for the sexual pleasure of adult males in the name of religion, every nation must speak out and do what they can to put an end to this despicable practice.

The people who oppose putting an end to the practice of child marriage are doing so in their own selfish interest, and are not thinking about the needs of the children. They do not care about the suffering that these girls experience as victims. As part of the human race, we all have an obligation to stand up and speak for the victims. For more information on how you can help, visit www.unicef.org.

Works Cited

Internet Reference #1 “Child Protection from violence, exploitation and abuse” www.unicef.org/protection/index_early marriage.html?q=printme

Internet Reference #2 “On The Line: Child Marriage” www.voanews.com/uspolicy/archive/2008-01/2008-01-28-voa4.cfm?renderfor print

Internet Reference #3 “Growing up in Polygamy” http://www.cnn.com/