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John, tomorrow is International Day of the Girl Child, a day to recognize the role we can all play in creating a world where girls can live safe, fearlessly, and free. This year, we are strengthening our commitment and building global support to address an issue that stands in the way of that ideal: child marriage.
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Child marriage forever changes the trajectory of young girls’ lives. It impacts her health, access to education, financial independence, safety, and more. Take, for example, Asseel (pseudonym).
Meet Asseel
At the age of nine, Asseel left her native Syria with her family, leaving behind friends and loved ones as the war ravaged her country. Her family began a new life as refugees in Lebanon. At the age of 13, she married her 21-year-old husband, and she soon suffered abuse at the hands of both her husband and mother-in-law.
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“Many times she hit me in front of my husband, he would laugh with his mother and would also beat me using a belt. I felt very oppressed and kept wondering why I had got married so young, things would have been much better if I had waited until I was 18.”
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The abuse continued to worsen until Asseel feared for her life. She fled and returned to her parents, who helped her pursue divorce. Now her parents have a different perspective on child marriage, but the harm to Asseel is already done.
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"I have two younger sisters who are in school...But because I am divorced I am not allowed...My favourite lesson at school was English, but I cannot read or write. I am very sad because I cannot go to school again and I think my childhood is lost forever.”
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This is Asseel’s story, which is all too common for the 12 million girls who are married each year. However, a different future is possible. One where girls can play with friends, finish school, choose whether and when to become wives or mothers, and pursue their career interests to gain financial agency and security. Every girl deserves a childhood and to live safely, happily, and freely.
Please contribute today to help ensure a brighter future. Your donation will support our efforts to drive legal and systemic change, helping to eliminate child marriage and protect human rights for all. A brighter tomorrow starts with Equality Now. Thank you for helping to make a difference.
In solidarity,
S. Mona Sinha
Global Executive Director
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