what feminism should focus on - child marriage
- siyara
- Jan 13, 2019
- 2 min read
Feminism tends to be focused on unimportant issues and is centred more around complaining and being sensitive as opposed to actually solving or bringing awareness to actual, serious issues that women all over the world face. One such issue is that of child marriage.
child marriage
According ircw.org, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year, so the severity of this issue is unequivocal. Niger has the highest child marriage rate with 3 in 4 girls already having been married by the age of 18.
Child marriage is a formal marriage or an informal union entered into by an individual before reaching a certain age.
- Wikipedia
effects
"For as long as child marriage continues to exist, so will poverty and instability, violence against women and girls, high global maternal mortality rates, and an ever widening educational gap between the poorest and wealthiest nations." - camfed.org
There is a higher risk of pregnancy and birth complications when girls become pregnant before their bodies are ready. This increases infant mortality rates and disability rates.
These girls have no power to refuse sex or to negotiate safe sex and so, when married to an older man whom has had many sexual partners, are very likely to contract STDs at young ages.
Child marriage also negatively impacts economic growth as camfed says, "With every child bride we lose a future teacher, doctor, scientist, entrepreneur or political leader."
what can feminists do?
However, progress is being made, meaning there is hope for the future. Child marriage is illegal in India as of 2006 and the African Union campaign was launched in 2013 to work closely with the Niger government to reduce child marriages. So what can we do?
Again - policy changes
Empower girls with support networks
Educate communities
Enhance access to education
SIGN THIS: https://www.freedomunited.org/advocate/child-marriage-in-niger/
Stay tuned for next week! And if I offended you, remember
tHAtS mY OpInIOn!
Lovely Siyara xx
I agree as the feminist community as a whole have a large amount of resources and ability to cause awareness on certain issues so if they focused on matters like this they could make a change
if feminism shifted its aim to tackle more serious issues like this
why aren't all feminists like this. The world would be a much better place
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