As I watched the PBS NOW documentary of  “Child Brides: Stolen Lives” on my computer, I couldn’t help but to feel passionate about an issue which I strongly feel continues to haunt the everyday lives of many young girls. A voice must be given to them, because every child is worthy of a childhood.

When we think of a ten year old girl, we often think of a girl excited to start school, playing with new toys and friends, and most of all, excited about the new adventures that childhood brings each year. However, for many young girls, this situation is very different –especially in many African and South Asian countries where girls as young as ten are being traded for money, livestock, or food under the false pretense of an arranged marriage. Girls are forced to marry men several years older and are exposed to tremendous health hazards, despite their clear immaturity, both physical and mental. Many of them are not given a choice of whom to marry or when to marry, but most importantly, laws provided for the protection of children in arranged marriages are continuously violated or not implemented by authorities. These marriages have simply become another form of socially acceptable sexual and mental abuse and are a direct violation of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,which states “men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.”

But why are families resorting to the selling of their young girls? The answer often lies in poverty. According to ICRW’s Margaret Greene and colleagues, poverty is the number one reason many young girls are being forced into union with older men. As many countries deal with economic struggles, there has been an increase in the number of childbrides. Families are resorting to the trade or sale of their children in order to obtain the necessary resources for their families’ survival. Young girls are also being used for the settlement of debts, continuing to belittle their existence. This is a problem that will not disappear unless the harsh economic conditions are confronted in order to stop the trading of young girls, for their so-called wedding arrangements, in exchange for food, livestock, or money.

The fact that girls are not valued equally as are boys is another struggle these young girls continue to face. In many developing countries, there is very little gender equality. Boys are often treated as the dominant sex, leaving girls subordinated. For parents to marry their young girls is not only a relief from economic burden, but also the norm- leaving them with little or no option to excel in school or to obtain the respect they deserve. They do not get the chance to develop both mentally and physically before being enslaved into married life.

By parents agreeing to have their daughters married at such an early age, families are putting girls at risk of serious maternal health risks, sexual or mental abuse, and at a greater risk of contracting STIs and HIV. These young girls have very little power to make their own decisions or negotiate any sexual acts as their husbands, and sometimes mother in laws, are in complete power of their lives. Furthermore, these young girls often experience complications during their pregnancy and could also experience social isolation if they do not bear a child, leaving them under constant pressure to give birth for fear of abandonment; and what child should to be tormented by these thoughts?

Young married girls, or child brides, are increasingly becoming a public health concern. A voice needs to be given to these girls by methods of education and community intervention to give them the opportunity to simply be children. Raising awareness about the roles of women, besides that of child bearer, will ultimately increase their roles in the community by allowing them to contribute to the workforce and not just to the household. Providing aid for countries in extreme economic need will also help alleviate the pressure that leads many families to marry off their young girls, and allow for these girls to grow in a more stable environment without having to endure sexual and mental abuse at such a young age. Nevertheless, the empowerment of young girls in developing nations especially those in Africa and South Asia through education is the key to elevating these young girls’ statuses among society and delaying child-marriage. It is now our time to advocate because every girl deserves her childhood.