Child
marriage is a hot topic in the Arab world at the moment – as the amount of
discussion on social media shows.“Child marriage is a form of rape that is not
recognised by the legislature. The criminal remains at large while the voice of
the victim isn't heard.” “Pedophilia is illegal under Iraqi law, while religion
and tradition glorify it”.
It’s
commonly believed that forced and child marriage are most common in Saudi
Arabia, Yemen and Egypt, but there was surprising news recently: Iraq is one of
the worst offenders amongst Arab countries. last week. The Iraqi minister of
planning and cooperative development, Ali Shukri, said in an interview that
“even in Iraq, 11% of women marry before they turn 18. The pregnancy of minors
causes important health problems in the country.” For the minister, the
solution would be “a UN resolution, in order to control the worldwide rise of
the population and to set a minimum age for marriage”. “What does this mean
[though]?” a journalist asked him on Facebook. “Should child marriage be
subject to Chapter VII for example?”
The
situation is similar across the Arab world. But, in Sudan for example, the
number of child marriages keeps on rising because family law doesn't protect
women, and some fatwas [legal advice based on Islamic law] support the marriage
of girls who have not even reached their teens.
TV series
An Egyptian
TV series called Burying Girls Alive, shown on one of the satellite channels
during Ramadan, has brought the discussion about child marriage into the open.
It illustrates the problem by showing an old man simply buying his teenage
bride and taking advantage of poverty and ignorance.
Child
marriage takes place either in the name of religion or because of financial
problems and is a problem that afflicts a large segment of the population in
Arab societies. Young girls are the victims, but they often only realise the
true harshness of their lives when they wake up as young, divorced mothers
before they turn twenty.
Mixed
reactions
An old man
marrying a girl who could be his granddaughter and hoping to marry even more
young girls. Images of the dead corpse of a bride in a bloodstained wedding
dress, not even 9 years old and brutally violated. Such scenes have evoked
strong reactions, with some viewers questioning how the makers could justify
using such young actresses for these roles.
The series
has caused massive controversy and discussion on Twitter and Facebook from its
first episode. Some condemn it with reactions such as: “I want to know what kind of sick person is
able to watch this series!!” and “This series is not appropriate for children.
My daughter saw the first episode and she's asking questions I can't answer.”
Others,
however, recognise the importance of the series’ subject: “My entire body
trembles after seeing this, even if this nightmare is only a reality for some
of us” or “The series tells a story that can't be ignored. Between and because
of money and desire, young girls lose their futures.”
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