The Truth About Child Brides
I'm no stranger to child marriages. My auntie got married at 15. My granny was married at 12 - and went on to have eight kids. But that was back in Afghanistan, where my family come from. I've grown up in England since the age of six and I have different ideas about when you should get married. I'm 23 and I'm not planning the big day just yet!
And although child marriage is illegal in many countries, it happens all over the world. One in seven girls gets married before the age of 15 in the developing world. Can it really be so bad for all of them, or is it just our Western perspective that makes it seem so shocking? That's what I wanted to find out.
I set off for two countries with some of the highest rates of child marriage in the world - India and Bangladesh. It was a gruelling trip through some of the poorest parts of south Asia - from the slums of Dhaka to remote villages in the deserts of Rajasthan. I found stories of despair, hope, and defiance. And the people I met completely changed my views about child marriage in a way I wasn't expecting.
Watch The Truth About Child Brides on Monday at 9pm.
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- Women, Weddings, War and Me