Summary

The website content describes the tragic story of a young girl forced into child marriage, highlighting the global issue of child brides and the societal shame it represents.

Abstract

The article titled "Child Bride Remembrances, Society’s Shame" poignantly recounts the heart-wrenching tale of a young girl whose dreams of education and personal growth are shattered when she is sold into marriage to an older man. Through vivid imagery and emotional narrative, it depicts the girl's transition from a carefree child playing with princes in her imagination to a commodity traded for profit. The piece underscores the loss of innocence, the betrayal by her own family, and the stark reality of being treated as property rather than a human being with aspirations. It also emphasizes the widespread nature of this practice, with a child bride being forced into marriage every three seconds, and calls for societal change to end such abuse and allow girls to realize their full potential.

Opinions

The author conveys a deep sense of injustice and sorrow over the plight of child brides, viewing it as a theft of their dreams and potential.
The narrative suggests that the practice of child marriage is not only a personal tragedy for the girls involved but also a societal failure to protect and nurture them.
The article implies that the family's role in this practice is complex, involving a mix of economic desperation, cultural norms, and a failure to value the girl's autonomy and dreams.
The author expresses disappointment in the lack of progress in combating child marriage, despite advancements in other areas of society.
There is an underlying call to action for readers to recognize the severity of the issue and to support efforts to end child marriage, such as those by the organization "Girls Not Brides."
The author emphasizes that the treatment of young girls as commodities is a stark contrast to the technological and societal advancements of the modern world.

Child Bride Remembrances, Society’s Shame

The public theft of an innocent girl’s dreams.

She stood alone, a sapling, swaying — the innocence of nature,

Her womanhood not yet blossomed, a distant haze in the future.

Now her bright days raced with princes, honour, brave feats galore,

Courage, given hearts, young curls, kisses, chivalry and more.

She gazed out the rain spattered window at the greyness of the day

Hopes of school, friends, and learning hounded by rumour and whisper far away.

Dreams to be a doctor, to give care and kindness to those in need

Was the woman she wanted to become, her heartsong decreed.

Her books, and dreams, fantasy images were abruptly stripped from her room

Daily her mother’s puffed sallow eyes peered lost in the gloom

Her father grew furtive, quivering, a distracted frightened bird.

He would not look at her and to her spoke barely a kindly single word.

Past years of laughter, cuddles, his touch and warm guiding hand

Now became stark and cold, his voice was harsh in abrupt command.

His words lashed her, brutal, she was treated like a street hound

Her love and dreams broken, belittled, scuffed coldly into the ground.

The men arrived shrouded in drab clothes, grunts and wheezing sighs,

Their bellies were rounded, their scalps bald, and faces wrinkled with lies.

She was shunted away, dressed by her fear-filled mother soon to be presented.

Fine silk, rouged cheeks, lipstick graced her, a disfiguring she resented.

She was shuttled, herded back, a sheep to the murmuring gaggle of men.

Her father’s eyes yelled confusion and shame, desperate to be forgiven.

One man stood, he was tall, thin and gangly, but with a donkey’s belly.

He wheezed and sputtered as he drew her close. She thought he was smelly.

She gazed at him as he reached to touch her. Why was he here?

His gnarled fingers prodded and poked, his hands cupped her rear,

They raced across her chest, “Only acorns, growth will take much time.”

Her father mumbled, “But then you see the fruit ripen on the vine.”

She straightened

stumbled back

dazed questions

the stinky man

his touching,

groping

fruit on a stand

buy, sell

sold

broken, yellowed teeth

dark, salivating eyes

sold

crisp notes scrape and slither

slapped hands

her mother

turned her away

men laughed

father laughed

yellow stinky teeth laughed

She was sold that day.

A eleven, with body tender, mind and dreams so sweet

She was produce, a commodity sold for the best price on the street

A withered yellowed hag of a man would be the prince in her bed

She would have a fine dress and to a crusted lech be wed.

So young and innocent, she knows not how to hate

So young and innocent, she decries it to be her fate

Her life, innocence was stolen, the young girl was no more

She was now a child bride, a grizzled old man’s whore.

Every year innocent young hearts are shackled into forced marriages to breed and perform as domestic house slaves.

A child bride is forced into marriage every 3 seconds. In the time it too to read my simple work, over seventy… 70 young hearts, broken dreams, have been forced to wed.

In our modern world where technology reaches ever higher to new worlds, can we not care with equal intent to the dreams of those suffering abuse on the fringes of our current world.

Thanks for reading

Ten Second Takeaway:

Humanity can not reach with an open palm to the future if it slaps and denies the truth and conscience of its past. — Kevin Farran

Predominant resource : Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than 1400 civil society organisations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfil their potential.