When brave people do something
Takia's Story
Takia was married at the age of 9 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Her father has seven children by three wives; her own mother died during childbirth. Because of her family's poverty, her father believed that in order to secure a steady future for his daughters, he had to marry them off.
"One day my father told me I was to be married. I was never asked how I felt. It was my duty to respect his decision."
She is unsure about her husband's age, but a local youth organisation believes he is around the age of 50. He waited until Takia was 11 before consummating the marriage. She gave birth to her daughter, Layla, that same year.
"I would have wanted to wait and find the one I love. But now it is too late. I prefer not to think about it. It is difficult for me, and for the whole country."
This is just one sad example of how girls are being degraded and married off from an astoundingly young age.
Takia was married at the age of 9 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Her father has seven children by three wives; her own mother died during childbirth. Because of her family's poverty, her father believed that in order to secure a steady future for his daughters, he had to marry them off.
"One day my father told me I was to be married. I was never asked how I felt. It was my duty to respect his decision."
She is unsure about her husband's age, but a local youth organisation believes he is around the age of 50. He waited until Takia was 11 before consummating the marriage. She gave birth to her daughter, Layla, that same year.
"I would have wanted to wait and find the one I love. But now it is too late. I prefer not to think about it. It is difficult for me, and for the whole country."
This is just one sad example of how girls are being degraded and married off from an astoundingly young age.
Who has helped?
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a Methodist politician, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994-1999. In 2007, he founded The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. In 2011, Desmond Tutu, the first black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland and the previous United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, were influenced by their faith and their sense of social justice to speak on behalf of The Elders to announce their new global effort to put a stop to child marriage, called Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage. By doing so, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and the rest of The Elders made a move that has saved countless lives from marriage in childhood, something no child should have to suffer through.
According to Girls Not Brides, today they are "a global partnership of more than 300 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential." They work in over 50 countries to address child marriage. Girls Not Brides do a number of things in their fights against child marriage, including:
Girls Not Brides has been very successful on its journey of change so far. They endeavour to address all areas of child marriage and have now united over 50 countries in its campaign. They do not profit from their campaign, and are purely focused on their commitment to end child marriage for once and for all. Girls Not Brides makes a vast difference to innumerable girls across the globe. The member organisations of Girls Not Brides are true rescuers of the victims of child marriage. In their work, they show that our personal efforts to stop child marriage do not have to be monumental; in fact, even if we just share their links on Twitter or Facebook, we are making a change.
For more information on Girls Not Brides and their work, visit http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/
According to Girls Not Brides, today they are "a global partnership of more than 300 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential." They work in over 50 countries to address child marriage. Girls Not Brides do a number of things in their fights against child marriage, including:
- Empowering girls
- Supporting young people to become activists for change
- Changing attitudes in communities
- Advocating for supportive legal and policy frameworks
- Mobilising and educating communities
- Bringing men and traditional leaders on board
- Helping to make and enforce laws that set a legal minimum age for marriage
- Introducing economic incentives
- Raising awareness using media
Girls Not Brides has been very successful on its journey of change so far. They endeavour to address all areas of child marriage and have now united over 50 countries in its campaign. They do not profit from their campaign, and are purely focused on their commitment to end child marriage for once and for all. Girls Not Brides makes a vast difference to innumerable girls across the globe. The member organisations of Girls Not Brides are true rescuers of the victims of child marriage. In their work, they show that our personal efforts to stop child marriage do not have to be monumental; in fact, even if we just share their links on Twitter or Facebook, we are making a change.
For more information on Girls Not Brides and their work, visit http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/
Religious Views
The predominant faith in Niger is Islam, with over 90% of the country's population being Muslims. Islam does not approve of marriage until the bride has reached maturity. Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the highest religious body in the Sunni world (the largest branch of Islam) states that "Marriage in Islam is regulated by certain rules, namely, children must reach puberty and maturity so they can get married." Zafar Khan says on IslamAwareness.net that "Woman has the rights to accept or reject marriage proposals."
Roman Catholics and Protestants make up about 5% of Niger's population, with around 16,000 Catholics in Niger today. According to Catholic Online 2013, Catholicism says that "Children should not be married, and should not be forced to produce children of their own against their will." Why, then, if the two most popular religions in this country are both against child marriage, does Niger have the highest rate of child marriage in the world?
This could be because of Muhammad, the Islam prophet or messenger of God, and his marriage to his third wife Aisha, who was six or seven at the time. Many families interpret this to mean that child marriage is acceptable in the eyes of Islam, when it really isn't. In fact, many religious leaders in Niger are working to end child marriage, including the Sultan of Dosso. He says of child marriage, "I'm 88 years old, and ever since my medical training, i have understood that marrying a young girl early at the age of 11, 12-something that our customs allow- that a girl that age is not physically mature." He is currently working with Plan International to stop child marriage in Niger (Plan International 2013).
Roman Catholics and Protestants make up about 5% of Niger's population, with around 16,000 Catholics in Niger today. According to Catholic Online 2013, Catholicism says that "Children should not be married, and should not be forced to produce children of their own against their will." Why, then, if the two most popular religions in this country are both against child marriage, does Niger have the highest rate of child marriage in the world?
This could be because of Muhammad, the Islam prophet or messenger of God, and his marriage to his third wife Aisha, who was six or seven at the time. Many families interpret this to mean that child marriage is acceptable in the eyes of Islam, when it really isn't. In fact, many religious leaders in Niger are working to end child marriage, including the Sultan of Dosso. He says of child marriage, "I'm 88 years old, and ever since my medical training, i have understood that marrying a young girl early at the age of 11, 12-something that our customs allow- that a girl that age is not physically mature." He is currently working with Plan International to stop child marriage in Niger (Plan International 2013).
What needs to be done?
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According to Girls Not Brides 2014, there are many more things we will have to do before child marriage can be stopped permanently. Some of these are mentioned below:
- If girls stay in school for longer, they are less at risk of becoming child brides. Laws need to be introduced in Niger that make it compulsory for girls to be educated through primary school and beyond- this means better school facilities and more teachers. According to Girls Not Brides 2014, if a girl is educated for seven or more years, she marries approximately four years later.
- 'Safe spaces' or youth groups need to be provided, so that there is a place in every community where girls can go to spend time together, share experiences and speak to trusted adults. This will help to provide them with a support network, and also allows them to know their rights.
- Communities have to be made more aware of what is going on. This can be achieved through events like street theatre, bicycle rallies, and encouraging interaction throughout all people in the community.
- Religious and traditional leaders need to speak to the public, go up against child marriage and change community attitudes. Already, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has spoken, asking boys and men as well as the leaders of Islam and Christianity, to publicly support efforts to end child marriage.
- Laws regarding a minimum age for marriage need to be made and followed strictly.
- Economic incentives need to be available for the girls, as well as for the families who are most likely to marry off a daughter because of poverty.
- Raising awareness in the media- TV, internet, magazines, newspapers and posters all need to call people to action.