Every year a picture of my mom, her two sisters, my two daughters and me pops up in my memories on FB, it makes me want to quote something deep about ‘girl power’ or ‘girl empowerment’ but, I think the term has been overused so much so that it is almost lost its meaning.
What is girl power? When we stand together and support one another? I have to admit, every time I witness it; in a conference room, on calls, in line at the store, on social media...it’s always refreshing, because for some reason it is still very rare.
Imagine having the power to create 7.5 billion people on earth. Or, imagine if all women said NO to giving birth...ever again. Yes! That’s the kind of power we have.
The fact is, boys and girls (men and women) are different. It has to be acknowledged in every aspect of life; health needs, education, career, physique etc. however, it is obvious that the gender gap is very much present around the world.
Let’s look at education, a key driver of economic and social development. It’s undeniable that there has been a lot of focus and even some success in trying to minimize the gender imbalance within education, but the harrowing fact is that young women still face disadvantages at the secondary and tertiary levels of education - universities, colleges and trade schools.
Now, true reasons for this include different cultures and their norms, poverty, child marriage, pregnancy, just to name a few. But, to talk about equality and women power, in a world where child marriage is not only legal, but completely acceptable is monstrous.
If I focus on the US only;
believe it or not, today, year 2020, there are many states where underage marriage is legal!! But, in those same states, you’ll find a law like this one “In Glendale - A person must be 18 years old to buy a wax container.” while there is no legal age to marry in Glendale.
Majority of marriages are with minors being girls (under the age of sexual consent) marrying an adult male. Keep in mind, minors mean different things in each state but in general terms it is a girl/boy under the age of 18. And if you think that is terrible, believe it or not, it gets worse!!! If you’re a minor who got married to an adult (with or without your parents consent - depending on each state) in all other instances you are still considered a minor, therefore, wait for it...it is illegal for a minor to divorce, leave their spouse or enter a shelter for abused women!!! That’s some empowerment!
Now, you may say, as many others would agree, this is child abuse!!! It most certainly is, but keep in mind, still TODAY, there are 10 states that have NO minimum age by statue. Not to worry because we are protected from wax containers, as Glendale council finds that:
“Large numbers of paraffin or wax containers are being discarded on the sidewalks of the city by children. Such containers, when discarded, become soft from the warmth of the sun and create a waxy, oily, greasy, slippery, dangerous and unsightly condition. The condition is aggravated because the contents of the containers attract large numbers of noxious flies.”
Digging a bit deeper into the real issues and forgetting about dangerous flies, I found that the traditional common law minimum age is 14 for boys and 12 for girls - ages which have been confirmed by case law in some states. In 15 states, children under 16 can marry. In all states if you’re underage, and your parents provide consent, you can legally get married. And if you’re the type who likes spreadsheets and numbers like me, how is this for a number: 200,000!!!
more than 200,000 minors married in US in the last 15 years!
In 2001 in Tennessee, girls as young as 10 were married! Not to worry, that was sooo long ago! We fixed it in 2018 when the state set the minimum age of 17! Yes, seventeen.
This is where I start to question if girl power has any meaning whatsoever!! Maybe in a conference room, social media hashtags or some celebrity movement. However, the real question remains...How can a girl who is 10, married, not allowed to divorce or leave, who gets pregnant; have an equal opportunity to an education, career, health care, social opportunities; feel empowered to speak her mind, stand her ground, contribute to her mental, societal, educational development, as the adult husband she’s married.
These little girls had no chance to begin with. It is a systemic disempowerment of young children leaving them dependent on others most of their lives, experiencing everything we want to turn the blind eye to; domestic violence, motherhood at an early age-leading to death or many other health problems, getting pulled out of school, no social life or any way to realize their potential.
Child marriage must end! It should not be a norm! Ideas that reinforce facts of girls being inferior to boys need to be eliminated. Lawmakers, world leaders, moms, dads all of us must work to provide girls with equal opportunities to independent lives, and truly empower them to make a change and speak. Having access to quality education same as any boy will let them create an independence. Let them speak up! Let them tell us how they feel about underage marriage and lack of empowerment to leave or lead a meaningful, independent life! We have to make that a norm. Talking about it and making the change!
For all the lawmakers and leaders- remove all forms of gender discrimination from legislation!! #levelthelaw Girls must be equally valued as people and protected from child marriage and other types of gender-based violence and harmful practices.
“I’m going to keep screaming until the federal government is not complicit in child marriages anymore," she continued. "It’s 2019 for crying out loud. Child marriage is an ancient relic from our sexist past, and it doesn't have any place in our society.” Fraidy Reiss
It’s 2020 and the screams are not loud enough! This has to end. It seems as a very simple fix but somehow it is not! Why?!
From an article on Sept. 8, 2019, 8:00 AM EDT By Dartunorro Clark NBC News
“A bill that would have ended child marriage in Idaho — which has no minimum age for couples who want to wed — died in the Statehouse this year - 2019.”
“In California, a bill to set the minimum marriage age at 18 — the state's age of consent — failed in 2017after objections from lawmakers and liberal groups such as the state's American Civil Liberties Union. The state currently has no minimum marriage age and collects little to no data on child marriages.”
We have to raise awareness and continue to push lawmakers to protect our children. Underage marriage must not be a norm. It is not barbaric but bestial! #EndChildMarriage
コメント