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This space not only aims to provide you with information on the injustices that enforce the tradition of child brides within Ethiopia, but to publicise the organisations that work to further educate and give hope to those oppressed by this system.
What are the Stats?
Enforced by age-old local religious customs, today the cyclical nature of the child bride tradition continues to spawn and enforce acute poverty within contemporary Ethiopian society.
As the New York Population Council (NYPC) claim that “approximately 81% of Ethiopia’s population live on less than US$2 a dayâ€, UNICEF and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) estimate that 49.1% of Ethiopian women marry before 18 years – the legal age for marriage. For more information on this, please see Stats in the blog section.
Critical Issue #1: Ethiopian Tradition and Culture
"Tradition plays a role in the persistence of this practice. Because so many girls do marry young, fathers fear that their daughters will be viewed as defective if they don't marry young, then no one will want them. Or they might be raped or abducted or become sexually active if they don't marry early, then - again - no one will want to marry them. Marriage, for girls, has been seen traditionally as the only way for parents to provide for their daughter's future."
- Sally Kneidel
Brenda Wilson (NPR) claims that Ethiopia was once seen as enlightened and progressive, but its image has been tarnished by the government’s suppression of dissent and opposition.
Below is a list compiled by Oxfam Community Aid Abroad outlining some of the most common practices that continue to oppress Ethiopian women in their contemporary society:
Widow Inheritance - Where a man marries a deceased brother’s widow.
Benbeto - Where a husband whose wife has died has the right to marry the younger sister of the deceased wife.
Bidhaa - Where a young girl is abducted, raped, and forced to marry her attacker.
Walgara - Where men exchange their sisters for marriage.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - Practised a few days after birth, or on young girls two to three months before marriage. Also, see the film section of this space.
For more information on this, please see Critical Issue # 1: Tradition and Culture in the blog section.
Want to know how the rights of children are being upheld globally? Check out these guys:
Critical Issue #2: Poverty
As extreme notions of morality and honour fuel the tradition of chills marriage, parents often believe that an older husband will be able to protect his young wife from immoral and inappropriate behaviour. A wedding is often a source of great pride within traditional societies. However, FORWARD claim that "marriage is regarded as a transaction, often representing a significant economic activity for a family. A daughter may be the only commodity a family has left to be traded, and sometimes girls can be used as currency or to settle debts."
For more information on this, please see Critical Issue # 2: Poverty in the blog section.
Want to know how you can get out there and campain for the enforcement of these vital rights? Check out this space - it's got all you need to know:
Critical Issue #3: Education
The Forum on Marriage and the Rights of Women and Girls explains that "Where [such] elements are linked with gender inequities and biases for the majority of young girls … their socialisation wgich grooms them to be mothers and submissive wives limits their development to only reproductive roles."
Child marriage not only deprives the girl child of her basic rights to education, equality, dvelopment, and health, but due to the expenses involved, there is virtually little or no chance that a girl will receive any eduacation whatsoever. Early chilld marriage is highly detrimental to a girl’s full potential. without education, the girl is forced into heavy domestic and field workloads, and into bearing more children at a time when she is physically and mentally unready for such roles.
Thus, FORWARD claim that â€the cyclical nature of early child marriage results in a likely low level of education and life skills, increased vulnerability to abuse and poor health, and therefore acute poverty.â€
For more information on this, please see Critical Issue #3: Education in the blog section.
Upholding the Universal Rights
A number of international conventions, protective organizations and instruments recognise that child marriage is a violation of human rights. In doing so, many have introduced various articles to specifically uphold the right of choice and legal matrimony while upholding rights to remain free from abuse of all kinds. As FORWARD recognises the main driving force of these organizations, some of the articles that uphold these rights are presented within the Upholding the Universal Rights blog section.
Get Activated
Despite these terrible circumstances, there are still many wonderful people and organizations out there who are doing all they can to change these narrow ideologies and to help lift the strains of poverty. While you’re able to connect with and view many of these organizations on this space already, below are some extra organizations we’ve found to be doing a worthy job:
The Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD)
FORWARD works to promote action to bring about positive social change to enhance the well being and protect the dignity of African girls and women globally. FORWARD is committed to eliminating harmful gender-based discriminatory practices that violate the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. FORWARD was established in 1983 in the UK, in response to the emerging problems caused by female genital mutilation being seen by health professionals. Since this time FORWARD has been working to eliminate the practice and provide support to women affected by FGM.
Oromo Grassroots Development Organization
(HUNDEE)
This Organisation aims to empower poor, single mothers to earn an income and increase their value within the structure of their communities. HUNDEE utilizes a traditional support system called Dabaree. The Dabaree Heifer Project grants one heifer to a female head of household in the program.
The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture
(MYSC)
This organization aims to support an initiative to delay the age of marriage through economic incentives that keep girls in school and provide life skills training.
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association
(EWLA)
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) is a not-for-profit Women's advocacy group founded by women lawyers. EWLA'S mission is to promote the economic, political, social and legal rights of women and to that end to assist them to secure full protection of their rights under Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and other international human rights conventions.
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