Child Marriage is Awful… Plan to End it.

Hello, my name is Margot and I’m studying advocacy for GCSE citizenship. This is my chosen subject and charity.

Haoua was married at 15. She is currently recovering from serious childbirth injuries and has problems with incontinence and a fistula. Such health effects are common amongst young brides who are not physically mature enough for sex or childbirth.

“Marriage isn’t a happy thing. When they told me I was to be married, I wasn’t happy because I know it’s not good. I’d be happy to go to school. What I want to do is learn how to read,” she says. Research done by Plan have shown that in the area (Niger) 36% of girls are married under 16 – the youngest brides aged 8. Some girls are married so young that they are actually brought up by their husbands.

However, Arjina (12) escaped this fate by seeking the help of Plan when she was told that she would soon be married off. Plan convinced her parents to annul the marriage, and now Arjina is a leading campaigner against child marriage and an honours student.

“Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health, and long-term prospects.” Dr. Babatude Osotimehin, executive director, UNFPA.

“I don’t know how children are made. But they get pregnant… They carry it inside them and it comes out a baby.” Tehani, married at 6 in Yemen.

Please click on this link to see the campaign, “Too Young To Wed.”, or go to the Plan website, http://plan-international.org. Also, please comment.