Stories of Child Marriage
This graph shows that 45 percent of women in South Asia, who are now 20-24 years of age, were married as a child. This percentage is far greater then that of other areas of the world. This is because while it is against the law, many small towns continue on with the tradition.
Child marriage is a terrible custom that has been part of tradition for hundreds of years all over South Asia. In many cases, the women are severely beaten, and sometimes killed. Many women who have escaped talk about suicide being the number one solution to their problems; however, suicide is against the Muslim religion, and many had children to take care of. One story in particular explains a severe case of child marriage in Afghanistan. Huma, then fourteen years old was arranged to marry Saif Allah, a Taliban fighter. One day Huma was dragged from her home by Saif and was brutally beaten, raped and tortured. He would hang her by her hair, rip out her fingernails, break her legs, and even beat Huma’s mother and sisters.
Another case of child marriage is from Bangladesh. Poppy, a girl who is only twelve years old has recently had a baby die before birth. In other words, she now suffers from fistula, which now means she is incontinent. Her husband, who was ten years older then her has abandoned her and she is now left alone at twelve years old, unable to marry again.
In India, three different cases of women in Bihar all talked about their desire for education and to become literate. However, their families wanted the girls to get married. In one case, the husband did not allow the girl to go to the clinic to learn. He even warned her and told her he would break her legs if she went. Other families refused to send their girls to school and instead pledged them off to marriage. One of the girls gave birth to a boy at twelve years old. After giving birth to a second boy, it was nearly impossible for her to get an education, raise her children, and work to help support her family.
Another case of child marriage is from Bangladesh. Poppy, a girl who is only twelve years old has recently had a baby die before birth. In other words, she now suffers from fistula, which now means she is incontinent. Her husband, who was ten years older then her has abandoned her and she is now left alone at twelve years old, unable to marry again.
In India, three different cases of women in Bihar all talked about their desire for education and to become literate. However, their families wanted the girls to get married. In one case, the husband did not allow the girl to go to the clinic to learn. He even warned her and told her he would break her legs if she went. Other families refused to send their girls to school and instead pledged them off to marriage. One of the girls gave birth to a boy at twelve years old. After giving birth to a second boy, it was nearly impossible for her to get an education, raise her children, and work to help support her family.
This is a diagram of fistula. Fistula is caused by prolonged labor and results in the inability to control the bowels. Many cases involve banishment from villages due to the smell. Husbands often abandon their wives, leaving them widowed and alone for the rest of their lives.