$1,400. That’s how much a thirteen-year-old girl from Yemen was worth. Born in Hodeida, the fourth largest city in Yemen, Hind went from eldest sister of five children to child bride when she was married to a seventy-year-old man. Before her marriage, Hind lived a destitute life with her four siblings and her elderly blind father in a shack. Her family’s main source of income was derived from what Hind and her siblings could conjure up from begging in the streets. Her family was paid a dowry of around $1,400 by her seventy-year-old husband for her hand in marriage. During the months she spent with her husband, Hind was repeatedly sexually and physically abused. After several attempts to escape from her husband and her marriage, Hind was finally
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Why does child marriage occur in Yemen and beyond its borders? Why was Hind subject to the practice of child marriage? In order to properly explain this phenomenon, the essay will analyze several topics close to this principal question. First, this essay will explore the definition of child marriage and the realities of how it is implemented in Yemen, more broadly, and to Hind. Next, the essay will demonstrate why child marriage in Yemen is a violation of human rights. This essay will then clarify who the violators of Human Rights laws related to child marriage are and who is violated by the practice. Finally, the central point of the essay will be answered, answering why child marriages still occur more broadly, then why child marriages occur in Yemen, and then finally why Hind was a victim and survivor of child …show more content…
The answer is complicated. Marriages are seen as a way for the poor families of girls to rid themselves of the burden of their daughters and even make some money off of offering the child bride to her husband. By exchanging their female family members’ hands in marriage for money in the form of dowries, poor families not only have “one less mouth to feed”, but also acquire extra money “to live off of” (International Law, 775). For poor families in poor areas in these Middle Eastern and North African countries that are particularly affected by child marriage, being rid of their girl child family members in exchange for money is tempting, especially given that girls (and women) aren’t usually afforded the same opportunities as boys (and men) when it comes to education and employment, whether married or not. Families also subject their daughters to child marriage because they see it as an accepted and assumed cultural practice. Family members accept stereotypical, widely held views of women’s roles in society and sexuality. Their decisions to marry their daughters as children are deeply influenced by these views, as noted by Plan International. These stereotypical views convince families that they are protecting their daughters from sexual violence and restoring their family honor by marrying their daughters as children
Why does child marriage occur in Yemen and beyond its borders? Why was Hind subject to the practice of child marriage? In order to properly explain this phenomenon, the essay will analyze several topics close to this principal question. First, this essay will explore the definition of child marriage and the realities of how it is implemented in Yemen, more broadly, and to Hind. Next, the essay will demonstrate why child marriage in Yemen is a violation of human rights. This essay will then clarify who the violators of Human Rights laws related to child marriage are and who is violated by the practice. Finally, the central point of the essay will be answered, answering why child marriages still occur more broadly, then why child marriages occur in Yemen, and then finally why Hind was a victim and survivor of child …show more content…
The answer is complicated. Marriages are seen as a way for the poor families of girls to rid themselves of the burden of their daughters and even make some money off of offering the child bride to her husband. By exchanging their female family members’ hands in marriage for money in the form of dowries, poor families not only have “one less mouth to feed”, but also acquire extra money “to live off of” (International Law, 775). For poor families in poor areas in these Middle Eastern and North African countries that are particularly affected by child marriage, being rid of their girl child family members in exchange for money is tempting, especially given that girls (and women) aren’t usually afforded the same opportunities as boys (and men) when it comes to education and employment, whether married or not. Families also subject their daughters to child marriage because they see it as an accepted and assumed cultural practice. Family members accept stereotypical, widely held views of women’s roles in society and sexuality. Their decisions to marry their daughters as children are deeply influenced by these views, as noted by Plan International. These stereotypical views convince families that they are protecting their daughters from sexual violence and restoring their family honor by marrying their daughters as children