Morning, guys. As you noticed, Zoe, myself, and Noel have started writing poetry about child marriage (in particular, child brides). I am hoping that there are others of you who have something to say poetically on this issue that you could then link back here, so I could forward them on to Dr. Adebayo Fayoyin to help commemorate the day.
Here is some background information for you (courtesy of Dr. Fayoyin):
Globally, more than one in three young women aged 20-24 years were first married before they reached age 18. One third of them entered into marriage before they turned 15. Child marriage results in early and unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening risks for girls.In developing countries, 90 per cent of births to adolescents aged 15-19 are to married girls, and pregnancy-related complications are the leading cause of death for girls in this age group.
Girls with low levels of schooling are more likely to be married early, and child marriage has been shown to virtually end a girl’s education. Conversely, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times less likely to marry as children, making education one of the best strategies for protecting girls and combating child marriage.
Preventing child marriage will protect girls’ rights and help reduce their risks of violence, early pregnancy, HIV infection, and maternal death and disability, including obstetric fistula. When girls are able to stay in school and avoid being married early, they can build a foundation for a better life for themselves and their families and participate in the progress of their nations.
Governments in partnership with civil society actors and the international community are called upon to take urgent action to end the harmful practice of child marriage and to:
Enact and enforce appropriate legislation to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 and raise public awareness about child marriage as a violation of girls’ human rights.
Improve access to good quality primary and secondary education, ensuring that gender gaps in schooling are eliminated.
Mobilize girls, boys, parents, leaders, and champions to change harmful social norms, promote girls’ rights and create opportunities for them.
Support girls who are already married by providing them with options for schooling, sexual and reproductive health services, livelihoods skills, opportunity, and recourse from violence in the home.
Address the root causes underlying child marriage, including gender discrimination, low value of girls, poverty, or religious and cultural justifications.
Empowering girls and safeguarding their rights is at the heart of the issue. Governments, civil society and UN agencies are working together to end child marriage; further commitment and resources are required to accelerate action that will empower girls and scale up successful interventions.
***would love to see what you guys come up with!
Susan Daniels Poetry 
I didn’t even know about this until today’s blogs and I feel helpless to help but maybe you could add these words to the cause:
I want to be that little girl
I want to feel her horrific pain and heartbreak
I want to suffer on her behalf … save her … comfort her
I want to smash her foes into a pulp and feed them to the dogs
I want to be that little girl so that she didn’t have to be that little girl
I want….
Aw, Jules, thank you!
Certainly puts things into perspective doesn’t it.
yes.
OMG. YES! We would love to take their pain
YES!
Reblogged this on visionvoiceandviews and commented:
A call to action for the girl child!
Yay! Some people on Facebook from the OctPoWriMo are going to see what they can come up with too.
http://daydreamertoo.com/2012/08/09/7313/
Hi Susan – I know it’s not the thing to post links, but I wrote this ‘for your project’ as it were.
http://ruleofstupid.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/poem-called-see-what-you-want-for-susan-daniels-project/
Hope you don’t object to the link 🙂
It feels sickening somehow to think that what one country punishes by law another takes for granted. Good luck with the project.
ROS
Hey, ROS–I SO want links here–I want links desperately! Thank you!
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God help me find the words!
Boomie–I know you can do it–you have those “mommy genes” too…and the voice, and the tender heart to do so much with this.
RYN: Yes, please do feel free to send it wherever you think it should be Susan.
Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Reblogged this on Help Me Rhonda and commented:
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL
This may seem an odd subject for my blog…but if you take the time to read it you will understand. There is, in practice still today, a process by which girls as young as 11 years of age, are SOLD into marriage by their families. Now, truthfully, we do not live the circumstances these people live in…but I can honestly tell you, as a mother first, I would kill myself first. This is a call to ALL writers to add a voice, YOUR voice, to a movement meant to commemorate this International Day of the Girl…not to celebrate per se, but to bring attention to and voice outrage for, the practice of Child Brides. I am happy to reblog this call to ‘pens’ by my good friend Susan Daniels, but even more importantly, I will be adding MY voice to this issue. I know NOTHING of this practice other than this: IT DOES NOT BELONG IN THE WORLD ANY LONGER!
Join me, in your own words, and follow the guide given to us here. Thanks as always,
Rhonda
Thank you SFAM!
It’s done and the link is in your box. Love you too!
Susan, does this have to be a poem?
No, honey–short prose (kinda like Zoe’s in size) I think would be appropriate too.
http://help-me-rhonda.com/2012/10/05/say-it-loud-and-say-it-clear/
My voice for you dear friend.
xo
R
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I wish I had more to offer…I WOULD go in the place of any child subjected to this, as I know you would also. I cry for them.
I know you would. Let’s work on making it so this does not have to happen, and never does.
I am in it!
Good,,,
Jeremy Nathan Marks–you ROCK!!!!!
http://thesandcounty.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun/
Wonderful post.
x,
Becca
thanks Becca!
Bravo to all of you, such an important goal.
Wonderful response we have been getting–I am thrilled to pieces!
My dear child,
For you are my daughter – you are all of our daughters. You deserve to be loved, protected, nurtured. You deserve to play, pretend, dance and giggle. You deserve to dream and wonder and explore and learn. These are inalienable entitlements of childhood. That anyone should deny you these opportunities is to deny our own humanity. To force you to endure pain, humiliation, torturous rituals that diminish you and deny our own humanity is a scourge upon the world. We lose our daughters before they understand the virtues of childhood. We take that chance from you, by allowing you to be subjected to trials that are unthinkable and unconscionable. And all I want to do is protect you from traditions that have no place in this world. I want to substitute those who inflict this unspeakable harm in your place. I want them to feel your pain. I want them to feel their futures seep out of their souls, replaced with resignation and despair. I want to strip them of their self-righteousness and have them stand naked before the world – beaten and diminished, bereft of dignity, hope and identity. And then let them look at you and begin to understand the consequences of their horror. You are my child. We are your hope.
Mimi–beautiful! Thank you so very much!
Beautiful child, you deserve to enjoy your innocence, to experience life’s stages on your own timetable, when you are ready. You deserve to be master of your own destiny, not a slave to someone else’s desires. You are strong, powerful, majestic, loved, and so much larger than this transgression against your soul. You are lonely, but not alone….
Thank you Donna–I will send this on today!
You’re welcome, Susan. It’s the least I can do…. Warmly, Lori
I passed this link along earlier this week to my dear friend Ann. And here is the result, Here is poem one of the two of hers that we recorded for the project last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73G2R86vfio&feature=share&list=PL0inXmnlvxSpghzbuazniROqlxuQ23V9Q
These are amazing, stunning. I have sent them along right away, and thanking your friend for these!
And here is poem two. It felt good to do this in contrast, in juxtaposition to our own freedom here in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3FdugjtAM4&feature=share&list=PL0inXmnlvxSpghzbuazniROqlxuQ23V9Q
AWESOME–thank you so much, listening now…
It was an honor to be a part of it. Thank you!
Really appreciated–they are on their way to SA right now.
Thank you! 🙂
Susan, thanks for taking this on. When David sent me your link, i sent it along to two young singer/songwriters. and said, write! haven’t heard from one and the other misunderstood, and wrote tonight that she wants to write a song or songs from my poems. she’s 14. how fun is that? thanksthis is so important! I look forward to strolling through everyone’s postings!
Oh, Ann, that sounds wonderful! I loved what you did with spoken word, and when that young girl writes those songs from your poetry, I would love to see the result & forward it on. How wonderful is that?
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I guess I am late, as usual. But never mind. This is a very noble cause, Susan.
Oh, thank you, Celestine–I agree. Our poor girls.
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