"child brides: stolen lives" (NOW/PBS)

[niyad]

(cross-posted from women's rights forum)

one front in the ongong war against women)

if you missed last night's "NOW" on pbs called "Child Brides: Stolen Lives", I urge all of you to go to the website, and either read the transcripts or watch the video

a horrifying look at the patriarchal practice of child brides, and what is being done to eliminate this practice



About the ProgramChild Marriage FactsMaria's JourneyFive Days in NigerEducationTake ActionHow You Can HelpFor EducatorsReact


Who is affected?
What are the effects of child marriage?
What can be done to prevent child marriage?
Learn more
Sources

» See also: Expert Q&A


Who is affected?

More than 100 million girls in the developing world will be married during the next 10 years.

Although the definition of child marriage includes boys, most children married under the age of 18 years are girls.

While the practice has decreased globally over the last 30 years, it remains common in rural areas and among the poorest of the poor.

In Southern Asia, 48%—nearly 10 million—of girls are married before the age of 18.

In Africa, 42% of girls were married before turning 18.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 29% of girls are married by age 18.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/341/facts.html

[Faux pas]

1. I watched and was appalled that this problem is such a 'known'

secret. It was wonderful to see/hear that Nigerian regional leader speaking out against a 5000 yr old tradition in his country. For a country to really grow and prosper women need rights and the ability to make their own choices.
Too bad our own country seems to be backsliding to the days of old when women were a commodity. Ironic, isn't it?

[niyad]

3. ironic indeed. the reichwing fundies are certainly trying to take us back to the 18th century.

[Faux pas]

8. Believe me, I don't understand this backward way of thinking.

I wish I could give this thread more recs. Did you cross post in GD? That might get a bigger response.

[niyad]

4. did you see the "democracy now" segment on the congo rapes? utterly horrifying

and still, people try to deny that there is, indeed, a war against women.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/08/1340255

[Faux pas]

9. No, I haven't. I'll bookmark it a check it out later. I don't think I

have the stomach for it right now. Thanks for the link.

[incapsulated]

2. I gave to UNICEF after watchig this

To support their education over child marriage initiatives.

It was heartbreaking.

[CTyankee]

5. Thank you, niyad. I hope DUers will take note, but where is the outrage? n/t

[niyad]

6. I wish I knew--I would have thought that this, and the segment on the rapes in the congo,

would have seen more response than the very caring few.

[CTyankee]

7. No, sad to say, there are some very hateful things, and some just insensitive things,

said against these kinds of threads by DUers. I truly did not expect them on DU when I first joined up. Now I am proved sadly wrong. There are people who proclaim themselves liberals, progresssives, big Democrats, humanitarians, etc, and I hear them make excuses or worse, blame the victim, when they are confronted by evidence such as the sort you have provided.

I don't get it. Do you have any explanations to share? Would love to know...

[kimmylavin]

10. I'm outraged.

Believe me.
Its a daunting thing, though, to fight centuries of entrenched thought.
Luckily, there IS outrage out there, or we wouldn't even be hearing about this.

[SergeyDovlatov]

11. It is insane to call 13-17 children

Some of them do behave that way, but I believe that it is due to the environment that makes young adults children.
In Russia when I was growing up, you only have to have 8 years of compulsory education. Then you can start work at 14.

When I came to US I was appalled by infantilism of american young adults that are kept in schools until 18.
The good part is that people are waking up. I recently found that some of the american scholars share my view.

For example:

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-4311.html

RE: In every mammalian species, immediately upon reaching puberty, animals function as adults, often having offspring. We call our offspring "children" well past puberty. The trend started a hundred years ago and now extends childhood well into the 20s. The age at which Americans reach adulthood is increasing—30 is the new 20—and most Americans now believe a person isn't an adult until age 26.

The whole culture collaborates in artificially extending childhood, primarily through the school system and restrictions on labor. The two systems evolved together in the late 19th-century; the advocates of compulsory-education laws also pushed for child-labor laws, restricting the ways young people could work, in part to protect them from the abuses of the new factories. The juvenile justice system came into being at the same time. All of these systems isolate teens from adults, often in problematic ways.

The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen
ISBN-10: 188495670X
Hardcover: 450 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Perhaps it is time for a paradigm shift in how we understand the tumultuous time we call adolescence. Dr. Epstein s landmark book may be just what we need to help enhance our understanding of and better serve those moving through this complex period of life. --Drew Pinsky, M.D., Co-Host, Loveline ; medical director, Department of Chemical

Review
This is a profoundly important book. Dr. Epstein is raising issues about our young people that we need to think about and evaluate carefully. Generally, I think the institutions that serve our young are sound, but this book points to some obvious problems most especially the fact that our young people are largely isolated from the adult world. If you care about America s young, this is a must read. --Dr. Joyce Brothers, author & columnist