Say hello to the child brides of Afghanistan

[QuettaKid]

So much for womens rights over there, eh Laura? They don't call Afghanistan the "graveyard of empires" for nothing.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5541006

[lonestarnot]

1. 122 degrees and wearing all that garb. Freedom to melt.

[TrogL]

6. It's actually fairly cool under all that

Light colours reflect the sun.

[lonestarnot]

7. Well I would elect not to wear that in 110 if I had a choice, no

matter what fucking color it is.

[patrice]

2. I know we are supposed to view this through the perspective of

cultural relativism, but I don't know why being in a different culture makes this sort of thing any less lecherous oppression.

SAD!!

[bleedingheart]

3. morality is subjective to culture

this is not a new issue...this is a centuries old issue.

it saddens me, but for those girls lives to change...the women and men in their culture must take a stand and fight to change it and be willing to take the risks.

perhaps if that area were not the "graveyard of empires"...and wasn't a consistent battleground for centuries...the folks there might prosper and realize how antiquated these practices are...

[snooper2]

5. or maybe if they killed all the religous wackos

that preach this shit generation after generation...it would stop

[bleedingheart]

8. it isn't just religious whackos taking these brides...

this is part of their culture...it has been happening for centuries..

For instance, Female Genital Mutilation predates Islam and was allowed to continue because it was just too hard to eradicate the cultural forces behind it...luckily it is becoming more rare and is being stamped out by the women in those countries where it takes place.


edit: here is a great link about an Egyptian woman who is fighting FGM in her country...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.unicef.org/egypt/reallives_887.html&h=140&w=200&sz=9&hl=en&start=51&tbnid=20cYiNd7Ao8VOM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfemale%2Bgenital%2Bmutilation%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

it dates back 2000 years....it is really barbaric and horrible ...but yet people willingly let it be done to their daughters.

[Warpy]

4. Don't forget that child brides were also the norm in the west

Patriarchal marriage has always been a raw deal for women and girls everywhere. Afghanistan is hardly unique. We only have to look to the polygamous communities here in the southwest to know that the system is thriving in the US, even if it is still rare.