Is the horror just beginning?
An image of forced marriages in Afghanistan, chosen as picture of the year by Unicef – LaVanguardia.es (link in Spanish): The image was taken by the U.S. photographer Stephanie Sinclair, which shows an 11 year old child that looks with fear her 40 year old husband. The idea for the article came from an earlier work about women that would commit suicide, setting themselves on fire, many of them having been children when they were delivered to their husbands.
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Two fine films dealing one way or another with this topic: Osama and The Kite Runner
Both have appeared on Cable/Sat TV…
He looks more mad then the girl. “I wanted a camel for my 40th B-day, and all I got was this lousy kid”. Talk about a mid life crisis. Of course I am pushing my “western” standards on this picture, but the picture says a lot even without my loud, american mouth
This is wrong on so many levels. Some of these people are WAY behind on the evolutionary scale.
Come on people, we have to be culturally tolerant.
This sick culture has moved into the USA as well. Read the article in today’s Minneapolis newspaper.
http://tinyurl.com/2enhnu
They took over Europastan already.
USA is next.
#4, Gig,
I am so glad you said that with tongue in cheek. I find this to be truly repugnant. If my western sensibilities make this a bad situation, then I am glad to have them.
sounds like Appalachian hill country to me
sounds like Appalachian hill country to me
Please, tell us more about the Appalachian Hill Country. Perhaps you have a newletter I can subscribe to?
Well, he is indeed following in the footsteps of Mohammed who, by the Muslim holy book have married girl of age 7, consuming the marriage at her age of 9…
I was thinking the same thing…. he is just following the example of Mighty Mo’.
Keep in mind that in their culture, girls are traded like cattle between families/tribes. She may have been payment for an offense her family did against his. They offered up their daughter in marriage as restitution. For example, someone in her family raped or murdered someone in his family. Yet, it is this little girl who pays the price.
It is sick.
The more and more I read and see of the “muslim world” the more worthless I think it is. These people are backwards.
Remember that arranged (forced) marriages were ‘traditional’ marriages, and usually involved ‘tweens or early teenage boys and girls. I always think of that when fears of allowing gays any kind of rights of inheritance or such are said to be destructive of ‘traditional’ marriage.
Also, in the U.S., a marriage is a contract.
J/P=?
I know this will sound very trollish; but we who worship the movie star, and the television, and the billion dollar submarine do not have much culturally to stand on. Where is our economic sustainable educational plan (for our own), with culturally tolerant police force?
In a far way fuedal lord society the weak will always be the most deeply exploited.
Not that I condone this, but what exactly is the age of consent in Louisiana? And gee, back in colonial days if you were 15 and didn’t have kids you were abnormal.
Again, where’s the neutron bomb when you need it?
In the spirit of the season, Reduce the Surplus Population!
Well, I’m sure to catch the heat on this but I have lived and worked in Afghanistan for nearly a decade. I promise you this girl is his fourth or fifth wife and her duties will be more janitorial than carnal. Eventually the man will require her virginity but not until his other wives feel she is ready. This girl was sold to him which means he is rich by local standards. Therefore, this girl’s life is likely to be much better than it would have otherwise. Saying it’s a look of fear on her face does not make it so. Believe me when I say I don’t like this sort of thing but it’s not MY culture. In the cities, you’ll almost never see this sort of thing happening, anymore. In rural areas where the culture is still important to the lifestyle, it continues. But with less frequency. I was in Afghanistan during the NATO invasion. People asked me how the women liked not having to wear burqas anymore. Hell, they’re STILL wearing ’em. You don’t end centuries of tradition overnight. Burqas and childbrides are decreasing. Cheap publicity stunts like this one from UNICEF (the self-appointed arbiters of all that is good for children and f–k the culture) only drive it underground.
#15
Here is your heat.
People should not be sold to other people, period the end, it is ethically wrong. I do not care if it is part of their culture or not. I do not care if the people sold are children or adults and I do not care about the reasons these people were sold. This is unacceptable. It is not the right of the rich and powerful to exploit much less sell the weak and powerless in their societies.
Cultural differences should only be tolerated with in reason. Just because a culture exists does not mean it is good. Female Genital mutilation, removing the hands of thieves, execution and many other horrible acts are constructs of the culture in which they exist. These things should not be tolerated by any rational human being in any society. Accepting brutality (and yes, selling an 11 year old to a 40 year old for the purpose of marriage is brutality) under the guise of cultural tolerance is not being liberal, understanding or good, it is being foolish.
#3,
Well, since girls go through puberty and are able to reproduce as early as 10 or 11, I’d say our sensibilities are out of step with evolution.
TROLL ALERT!
#15 I bet you’re pro-choice. It’s ethically wrong to sell someone into slavery but not to kill a child while it still grows in it’s mother’s womb, right?
Whereas here, we just have the girl sleep with the guy or boy without marriage, and those who think it’s a bad idea are labelled ‘backwards.’
Kevin, you’re right. Comparing institutionalized pedophilia to our defense spending is rather trollish.
====
# 13 Kevin said, on December 18th, 2007 at 9:36 am
I know this will sound very trollish; but we who worship the movie star, and the television, and the billion dollar submarine do not have much culturally to stand on. Where is our economic sustainable educational plan (for our own), with culturally tolerant police force?
In a far way fuedal lord society the weak will always be the most deeply exploited.
====
You guys are all jealous of that man because you can’t date any young girls for fear that it’s an NBC hoax.
#16==Way to not understand a single thing you read in the excellent and informative post of #15.
Read it again.
“You don’t care” items should be read until you atleast see the other side.
So, its better to starve to death than to be sold as a child bride? Said by someone who has never traveled.
Its NOT the rich and powerful who sell their children, stupid, its the poorest of the poor selling to 2-3 levels less poor.
Earn those high marks, Dolt!
#7 JERK.
I, for one, welcome our new NAMBLA overlords.
Yuck!
Some philosophies are incompatible with the West and they know it. Do you?
If you would murder a woman over a teddy bear, we are not compatible.
What to say?
Americans, i never loved ya too much… but please continue bombing Afghan.
PS- greetings to THE ANSWER man:) I agree with everything you’ve said , bro:)
I feel pitty about afghan man on picture. He wanted to get married but instead wife and couple of years of hot nights & days first, he instantly become parent.
Well, that’s bad luck:)
#18 – You don’t see my name pop up here very often. I try to provide information only where I have something of value to add. Sorry you see that as trolling. Unless you were speaking of my appearance. Very trollish, I assure you.
Women are sold into marriage in much more of the world than they are not. I, myself, had to provide a very expensive gold and diamond ring to my beloved. Which she kept when my trollish appearance frightened her away.
So, my friend: got any opinions on societies where women have to BUY their way into a marriage? Dowries are not uncommon even today. Even in the USA.
As for your other points: FMG? Supposed to keep the woman chaste. Any worse than European chastity belts? Cutting off hands? Eye for an eye ring a bell? Or how about branding A for adulterer on a woman in American society? Any atrocity you can point out in the Muslim world, we can find a similar one in Christian societies. But, as we become “enlightened” we try to leave these things behind us.
My whole point was that things are changing in Afghan society as they become more and more exposed to western and other “enlightened” societies.
Interestingly enough, I heard the Taliban banned such practices as child marriage, pedophilia, not to mention they wiped out 98% of the opium crops in 2001.
With the return of the Northern Alliance, its now commonplace to see and older man with his little boy lover in tow, and opium flows freely to a needy world.
The law of unintended consequences applies here I guess.
9#
Our right.. our prohet married an 9 yers old firl whose name was Aisha.
Firstly because her social and economlical conitions were not well; her mother died when she was not yet married. She was the eldest sister and had no1 who could take more care of her then the prophet.
Secondly she herself wanted to marry the prophet, she said it first.
Thirdly..why would she have such an idea about marry him? we have to c this case from a cultural or better said historical pespective; women at that time were more “safe” when they were married…a lot of young girls were married when they were very(when they were able to reproduce) at that time. Most criminals did not dare to rape a married woman.
But 2day it is sure a big problem that very young girls r married when they r not agree theirselves. When they fare their old husbands. But in many poor countries this is a problem.