That is the right of a girl to say no to marriage and keep all school ages girls into schools. We know that girls are the backbones of every developed and under-developed country, because without the assist of females no nation can be successful, but unfortunately we are unaware about the rights of females who are facing numerous pros and cons such as, honour killing, child labour, victim of acid attacks, joblessness, child marriage, rape victim and many more.
Moreover, 15 millions girls marry before the age of 18 each year and every second girl becomes a child bride. According to the report by “Save the Children” that every second girl under the ages of 15 is forced to marry to much older man.
Child marriage starts a cycle of disadvantage that denies girls most fundamental rights to learn, develop, be children and it has also so many other harms which can ruin the life of girls, because they cannot attend schools and face domestic violence.
Here question arises are females born to have a discouraged life? Don’t they have the right to be educated? Why are they being neglected by the government? Who is the onus of these girls whose jubilant of life is crushed, due to marriage? Apart from this, poverty and gender discrimination are the main root causes of child marriages too.
Furthermore, recently a 14 years old girl married with a 59 years old man. Now 15, she is 3 months pregnant and she said that “my marriage is a misery for me and I feel blessed that I am having a baby, but I am a child and raising a child “.
This is the time that she should go to school but unlikely, she is out of school, due to her marriage. Going to school gives choices and opportunities in life, allow them to play an active role in their communities and break the cycle of poverty. Educating girls is one of the most powerful tools to prevent the child marriage.
Child marriages must be banned all over the world. All the citizens should walk together to end the child marriages and keep girls in schools for promoting an alluring culture of education to know their fundamental rights to live peacefully.
Munaj Gul Baloch
