Dear Activist,

Child marriage exists among generations of young girls. One girl in particular, Maryam Zarrinpar, married when she was eleven years old. At such a young age, she was forced to live the traditional life of an Iranian wife. Cooking and cleaning for her husband, who was twice her age, she could no longer leave the house. Maryam was not given the privilege of getting an education, meeting new friends, and walking along the streets of Iran. She now lived with the purpose to serve someone else.

As pressing as the issue is, child marriage goes unspoken in the media. Everyone tends to shy away from putting an end to more generations of silenced young girls.

Stories similar to Maryam’s occur everyday. According to Girls Not Brides, 12 million child brides marry before the age of 18 each year. That translates to 23 girls every minute and one girl every three seconds. Around 650 million women alive today married as children; that is 650 million too many.

The Causes and Effects of Child Marriage

Child marriage is deeply rooted in gender inequality and patriarchal values. Some families also marry off their daughters to control their sexuality. Child marriage helps poor families, who lack the proper amount of food and money, support themselves. Usually, in exchange for the bride, the husband and his family offer to give animals or money to the girls’ parents.

When a young girl is married off to an older man, the girl’s social and physical development is compromised, her schooling is interrupted, the chances of her living in poverty are doubled, and she loses any likelihood of advancing in a career. For Maryam, her husband would come home from work everyday with dolls in order to make her feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, not all husbands are as caring. Most husbands sexually assault and rape their child brides. This causes unwanted pregnancies, emotional distress, and weakens the girls’ health.

Child Marriage in the United States

Child marriage is a global issue that spans across most countries and continents. The highest rates of child marriage are in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. It also exists in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and even the United States.

In the United States, child marriage is legal in 47 states; Deleware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are the only states to establish a minimum age a child can get married. Child marriage may not seem evident in the United States due to the media’s lack of coverage on the topic; however, 248,000 children were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010. Because there is no federal law regarding child marriage, each state has the power to set their own rules individually.

Just because you are oblivious to the issue of child marriage, does not mean it does not affect you; I only found out Maryam Zarrinpar was my great aunt last year.

With that said, the cycle of child marriage traces back generations and will surely continue in the future if we do not take action. Cultural customs provide excuses for compromising young girls’ health and development, and we can no longer remain neutral about this because we do not think this affects us.

Activate Change

We cannot expect change to come to us, we must chase after it. We need to channel the anger and sadness derived from injustice and establish new practices and laws. There are too many of us who are uneducated; we must put in the effort and take those extra steps to stay informed. We have the power of technology to spread awareness but must discover our potential.

• Work directly with young girls to give them the opportunity to build skills and knowledge and understand and exercise their rights.
• Shift the values and norms that account for child marriage by working alongside families and communities to raise awareness about the issue.
• Donate to the WHOLE Girl Fund. Click here to read their mission.
• Sponsor a girl and help her to stay in school and avoid marriage. You can also give her the resources she needs to become a healthy and productive adult.
• If this is your first time learning about child marriage, stay informed and conduct research to better understand the issue.
• Initiate the conversation. Keep others informed by discussing this topic in depth and taking away the stigma behind child marriage.
• Anti-child marriage organizations work towards giving girls the life they deserve; therefore, it is imperative you support them, so they can reach a broader audience.

Generations of mistakes and missed opportunities have led to the need for change. We will struggle through the journey, however, the joy of reaching the destination will be worth it. Using our voices for those who are denied the right to use theirs is necessary. We are given the privilege of a free life, which is invaluable and unattainable for all of the girls impacted by child marriage.

Cordially,

Nika Tarkian