Originally published on the CGS blog on April 26, 2016.
For privileged children in the United States, their biggest worries are getting their homework done in time to watch TV and being able to play outside with their friends. However, for young girls in Ethiopia, they are worried about getting a proper education and hoping their parents don’t force them into marriage.
According to Girls Not Brides, two in every five girls are married before their 18th birthday and one in five girls marry before the age of 15. For these young girls, forced marriage brings their childhood to an abrupt halt.
In Ethiopian culture, some believe that a woman’s main job is to be a wife and mother. Patriarchal ideals such as these contribute to the issue of female genital mutilation: 80% of women in Ethiopia become victims of this practice before the age of one.
Many of the girls who are married off at a young age will be unable to complete their education, either because their families cannot afford it or because their husbands refuse to allow them to attend school. It is common for girls not to even find out they are getting married until a week or a few days prior to the wedding. They are forced to marry men they do not know and who are eight or more years older than they are.
These forced marriages can lead to domestic violence, and the brides encounter many health problems because of early pregnancies and childbirth. The young girls feel helpless because they have no control over household decisions; they are unable to leave their homes because they have little to no education and ultimately nowhere to go. Most parents refuse to take their daughters back because it would tarnish their families’ respect. These young girls are being punished simply because they are born girls.
Many factors contribute to the increase in childhood marriage in Ethiopia such as poverty, lack of proper education and the lack of economic opportunities (common throughout third-world countries.) Child marriages are prevalent in many countries, and it is time to educate the people and protect the youth of these girls.
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), in partnership with CARE-Ethiopia and the Nike Foundation educates young girls on having control of their lives so one day they can stand up for their own daughters and promise them a bright future. ICRW is also working to help girls that are already married by empowering them and educating them with the system they are living in.
Young girls deserve to play with others their age and to have a proper education. All these girls are capable of greatness if provided with the right opportunities. Imagine if your daughter, sister, or friend were forced into marriage and denied a childhood, an education. It is our job to raise awareness of this issue because these young girls deserve the same rights as our own loved ones.
