Samia's Dream: See the World Free from Child Marriage

"Samia pursues change by engaging with her peers and speaking out about children’s rights and protection. She dreams of a world free from child marriage, child labor, and all forms of violence against children.

FROM World Vision, written by 15-year-old Samia, a Bangladeshi member of World Vision’s Young Leaders Network, a program designed to empower young people ages 12 to 17 to make their voices heard in the global campaign to end violence against children.
http://www.worldvisionadvocacy.org/2019/03/06/samia-child-marriage-violence-children/

"I am a Young Leader and a member of the Child Forum Ashar Alo, which means “Hope of Light.” I am from Bangladesh, a place of natural beauty; it’s full of rivers and has the largest mangrove forest in the world. I believe that many of you have heard about it.

"However, apart from all the wonderful things, we have many problems such as poverty, child marriage, child labor, and both physical and emotional violence against children. For this reason, many girls in my country cannot get their rights and suffer every day.

"In our Child Forum, we come together to help those children, especially girls, because in our society girls are still left behind, and they are vulnerable to superstition and many forms of abuse.

"Many girls are unable to enjoy their rights as human beings. For example, in my country the rate of child marriage is 52.3 percent, and 72.6 percent of women who have ever been married have experienced some type of partner violence. These numbers are very high and terrible for any country and society.

"If we give people knowledge, they will understand what is right and what is wrong, and hopefully they will end all forms of violence.

Samia, 15-year-old Bangladeshi advocate to end child marriage

"These are big problems in our country, but for me, the main issue is the lack of protection because of illiteracy and the cultural beliefs that maintain and accept violence against girls as a regular thing. However, besides old traditions that support violence and child marriage, many parents feel they have to marry off their children due to poverty.

"Cultural beliefs, illiteracy, and lack of knowledge cannot be an excuse anymore to justify violence. If we give people knowledge, they will understand what is right and what is wrong, and hopefully they will end all forms of violence. Luckily, my parents are conscious that violence against girls and child marriage is a problem because they have learned that these things have a negative impact on children’s lives. I shared my learning with them, and they understood.

"But many parents do not understand this problem. They think girls are born to do household work and if they get married early, they can be happy in life. Many parents of my friends believe in that way.

Samia speaks out against child marriage and violence against children

"Here I want to say that everyone is equal; girls and boys are the same. I firmly believe that we, the girls, can equally contribute to society and, together with boys, we can end violence against children. But we need encouragement from the people around us.

"Sadly, all over the world, girls are prevented and discouraged from talking and making their voices heard. In our community, people think that girls are a burden. This is not right!

"We, girls, can do many things to change the world and change the attitudes of society, and this is what we are doing today in our Child Forum. This is the reason why I am here today writing this blog.

"I am here to show my determination to work together in ending child marriage and all forms of violence against girls. My dream is to see our world free from child marriage, free from child labor, and free from all forms of violence against children."
--World Vision

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In the Light of Human Rights,

Daniel Wilcox

The Seven Bad B's

For years now we’ve heard of the subjugation (and often abuse, mutilation, “honor” killings, etc.) of women by the Saudis, the Afghans, the Iranians, the Iraqis, the Egyptians, the Somalis, etc.—based on Islam.

Most of the subjugation, mistreatment, and inequality comes from Islam's Sharia Law.

Also, the Qur'an states a husband is allowed to beat his wife.

Because nearly all Muslims think that the Qur'an is eternal and perfect, most Muslims believe this. And many men thus feel justified in mistreating their wives.

Furthermore, Muhammad was a polygamist, even married a 6-year-old little girl when he was 50 (consummated the relationship when she was 9). And he married the recently divorced wife of his adopted son, etc.

Because of this, most Muslims believe in polygamy. And those wealthy enough practice the barbaric custom.

In many cases, like Muhammad, wealthy older men marry very young girls:-(.

Sometimes forgotten, however, are the negative views of women in Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, indeed, in nearly all religions. For instance, according to most of Buddhism there can never be a woman Buddha.

In Buddhism, in order for a woman to advance to enlightenment, she must be reborn as a male!

Talk about negativity.

In early Judaism women were property. “In Jewish law a woman was considered property rather than a person. She either belonged to her father or husband."

"She was not allowed to study the Law."

"In the synagogue women were shut apart from the men so they could not be seen."

"Nor could a woman actively participate in the synagogue services; she had to passively sit and listen. Nor could she teach the children in any formal manner."

"One Jewish morning prayer said by free Jewish men was to thank God that they had not been born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman."

"One Rabbi is quoted as saying not to talk much with women because, 'Every one that talks much with a woman causes evil to himself, and desists from the works of the Law, and his end is that he inherits Gehenna.’"

"A strict Jewish Rabbi would not greet a woman on the street, not even his wife, daughter, mother, or sister."
(William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, rev. ed. pp. 66-67)

Furthermore, read the verses in Numbers from the Jewish Bible. (See a few paragraphs below.) Very disturbing!

Even today, among some Jewish religious groups, women must be separated from the men by a partition in synagogue worship, etc.

When I lived in Israel and we visited the synagogue in Bet Shean, it was surprising and disconcerting to see the synagogue's main room filled with only men.

Women were restricted to a side room separated by a latticework wall. We could see them back behind that screen.

And other strong discrimination is happening right now in Israel:
"Taiseer and Lana Khatib will be forced to live apart under a ruling by the Israel high court, which upheld a 2003 law banning many Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in the Jewish state."

"..the husband, an Israeli citizen, will be forbidden legally from living with his Palestinian wife."
NBC News

Even when women win awards in science, there is discrimination:
"JERUSALEM — January 14, 2012 A few months ago, the Israeli Health Ministry awarded Channa Maayan, a pediatrics professor at Hebrew University, a prize for a book she had co-written on hereditary diseases common among Jews."

"For the ceremony, Maayan wore a long-sleeve top and a long skirt in deference to the acting health minister, Yakov Litzman, who is ultra-Orthodox, and the other religious people attending. But that was hardly enough."

"Not only did Maayan and her husband have to sit separately, because men and women were segregated at the event, but she was instructed that a male colleague would have to accept the award for her because women were not permitted on stage."

Then there are the abusive cases:
"...ultra-Orthodox men spit on an 8-year-old girl whom they deemed immodestly dressed;"

"the chief rabbi of the air force resigned his post because the army declined
to excuse ultra-Orthodox soldiers
from attending events where female singers perform."
Ethan Bronner, The New York Times

In orthodox Judaism and conservative Christianity, women are required to cover their hair.

In Christianity, while the situation for women was sometimes better than among other human groups, women still weren’t allowed to preach, to own property, to vote in government, to make decisions, and so forthl

In fact, even now many churches still don’t let women lead in church including the largest denominations—Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Southern Baptist.

What is the basis for this subjugation in religion in all its negative shades from ancient times to the present?

Why are we men so negative toward women, either secularly emphasizing the vulgar or religiously emphasizing their inferior status and imposing restrictions on them?

Much of the problem would seem to be because of men’s 7 Bad B’s:
Brawn, Brains, Boasting, Boozing, Bets, Bucks, Booty

Booty (from the Jewish Bible):
“The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself...61,000 donkeys and...of women who had not known man intimately...32,000.
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately."

"But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves."

"You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured

...and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.’”
Numbers 31:17-35, 53 NASB

booty: plunder taken from an enemy in time of war
slang: buttocks, vagina, sexual intercourse
The Free Dictionary


Thank God, this ocean of men’s darkness isn’t the final statement in secularism or religion.

To be continued--

What is your perspective on this?

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox