Un día inolvidable

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Las niñas no deberían ser sacrificadas para la salvación económica de sus familias: la pobreza es un impulsor del matrimonio infantil. Dejemos que las niñas sean niñas. Y hagamos que la boda de una mujer sea inolvidable por buenos motivos, que las lágrimas sean de alegría por celebrar comienzos y no de tristeza por lamentar finales.

Noticias

Siete cosas que no sabías sobre el matrimonio infantil

Después de enterarse de la ilegalidad del matrimonio infantil a través de la educación en habilidades para la vida proporcionada por el Centro de Recursos Kishori, apoyado por UNFPA, en su comunidad en el distrito de Jamalpur, Tahiya (a la derecha) pudo evitar el matrimonio de su compañera de clase de la escuela secundaria, Shila (izquierda). UNFPA Bangladesh/Príncipe Naymuzzaman

07 Febrero 2022

No siempre un final feliz

01 Feb 2021

No más cuentos de hadas. No más falsas promesas. Es hora de que las niñas escriban sus propias historias.

February is a busy month for florists and jewelers; it is also a busy month for advocates working to end two rituals that spell the end of childhood for girls around the world: child marriage and female genital mutilation. Adisa, from Sarajevo, shows jewelry she was given by her in-laws after she was married at 14. Freshta (name changed), in Afghanistan, shows the dress she wore when her father forced her to marry a 60-year-old man. She was 12 at the time.

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Female genital mutilation and child marriage often go hand in hand. In many communities, female genital mutilation is seen as a rite of passage that makes girls marriageable. In Sierra Leone, Fatmata refused to be cut and was forced to flee town. Today she is a leader for change. “We have the right to say no, even if we are children,” she says.

“They have the power to choose.”

This Valentine’s Day, women and girls are calling for a new romantic vision, one where, as Mimah says, “they are in charge of their own lives.” Mimah lives in Marawi in the Philippines and was married at age 17. Today, at a UNFPA women-friendly space, she counsels others to reject child marriage.

Girls like Chinara in Tbilisi, Georgia, are chasing their dreams instead of living a nightmare parents choose for them: “My life is not theirs to decide.” She escaped early marriage once at 14 and again at 17 and wants to enroll in a police academy then law school. “I prefer to take time and make my own steps.”

Fairy godmothers may be the stuff of fairytales, but girls in the real world need someone on their side, too. Through a UNFPA-run safe space, Fethiye, an Iraqi teen refugee living in Eskehir, Turkey, was able to access education. “They convinced [my family] that I should go to school without being a wife.” She is finishing secondary school and made friends. “I have gained my self-confidence back.”

“A girl is not your property.”

At 14, Ana Kabi walked more than 20 kilometres from her village in Como, Guinea-Bissau, to Cátio to escape early marriage. She found refuge in a UNFPA-supported evangelical church and has been there ever since, counselling other girls also changing their narratives. At 27, she is in ninth grade with dreams of becoming a doctor and having a family. Pictured: Ana Kabi and Zaida Na N'fad, 16, the youngest girl in the shelter.

@UNFPA Guinea-Bissau/Aleke Ogbada Júnior

Communities can and are embracing these changes and helping girls rise up. In Kenya, women who used to perform female genital mutilation are abandoning the practice and supporting alternative rites of passage.

“My future is not in your hands.”

Sometimes there are no happy endings. In exchange for money, Zahra (name changed), in Iraq, was wed to a cousin when she was 13, then became a mother at 14. “I was left with a husband and child while I was one myself.” She suffered domestic abuse, then her husband divorced her, taking their three children. She hasn’t seen them in years. “Early marriage,” she says, “is rape with official papers.”

Image courtesy of Un Ponte Per

Even if they are not knights in shining armor, men and boys can still stand up for girls. After enrolling in a life skills programme, then-13-year-old Iqbal pleaded with his parents not to marry off his 15-year-old sister in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. “Child marriage,” he says, “is a curse for boys and girls.” And in Egypt, Father Mekarios is helping the community abandon female genital mutilation.

"A girl is not yours to give away."

Some little girls dream of their wedding day – not of marrying against their will. In collaboration with UNFPA, Ireland-based designer Natalie B. Coleman created a wedding dress depicting the female reproductive system, accented with red petals that symbolize the horrors of female genital mutilation and child marriage. It highlights “the urgency of promoting women's and girls' right to agency over their bodies,” she says.

“Not yours to deny education.”

Concern over these issues is growing. Globally, more 200 million girls and women have experienced female genital mutilation, and 1 in 5 girls is married by age 18. Bindu, in Nepal, was married off at age 17. Today, she is an elected leader and a strong opponent of child marriage.

COVID-19 is making things worse. Some 11 million girls are at high risk of never returning to school, increasing their vulnerability to both harmful practices. The UNFPA and UNICEF joint programmes to eliminate female genital mutilation and end child marriage are calling for leaders to urgently protect and empower girls. Pictured: A tool for performing female genital mutilation in Kenya. Dowry items for a child marriage in Nepal. A child bride’s makeup in Afghanistan.

Cutting tool © UNFPA/Luis Tato; dowry items © UNFPA Nepal/Santosh Chhetri; makeup © UNFPA Afghanistan

Still, there is reason to hope these harmful practices will go from "once upon a time" to "never again." Around the world, girls are demanding their own happy endings: ones where they can grow up, get an education and choose their own futures. Pictured: In Sarajevo, two former child brides, who say they want more for their daughters. Girls in the Dominican Republic, where child marriage has just been banned.

Decirle “NO” al matrimonio infantil

01 Feb 2019

Cada día, decenas de miles de niñas se convierten en niñas casadas. El matrimonio infantil viola sus derechos, pone en peligro su salud y torna incierto su futuro. Pero cuando las niñas son empoderadas para luchar, para negarse o escapar del matrimonio infantil, no hay límites para sus aspiraciones. Este Día de San Valentín veremos qué sucede cuando las niñas dicen "NO".

Globally, one in every five girls is married off before age 18.

Pero niñas como Kakenya Ntaiya están rechazando esta práctica. "Crecí en la zona rural en Kenya, donde la tradición indicaba que las niñas debían someterse a la mutilación genital femenina en preparación para el matrimonio a edad temprana", explicó al UNFPA. "En mi caso, escapé del matrimonio infantil y luché por mi educación". Se convirtió en asesora de jóvenes para el UNFPA, y fundó el grupo Kakenya's Dream de empoderamiento de niñas.

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Image courtesy of Kakenya’s Dream

girls like Kakenya Ntaiya are rejecting this practice

Child brides often drop out of school. But educating girls can break the cycle of poverty.

En Iraq, Elaf tenía dos hermanas adolescentes que abandonaron la escuela después de casarse. "Ambas desearían no haberse casado tan jóvenes", admite. "Mi sueño era ser farmacéutica, así que cuando mi padre decidió que debía casarme a los 15 años, me negué". Elaf tiene hoy 26 años y estudia farmacia.

Image courtesy of IHAO

Elaf had two teenage sisters drop out of school after marrying

Young brides often become pregnant while still adolescents. And unmarried girls who find themselves pregnant are often pressured to marry.

Esa fue la experiencia de Poni Helen en Sudán del Sur. "Mis padres querían que me casara cuando quedé embarazada a los 16 años. Los desafié porque quería terminar la escuela, pero no me apoyaron, así que trabajé y fui a la escuela. Hoy tengo 23 años y estudio Derecho mientras crío a mi hijo de seis años".

Adolescent pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy complications. Having one’s dreams shattered takes a toll, too.

"Mi madre se casó muy joven, y aunque completó su educación superior no se le permitió trabajar después de casarse," afirma Farah Faizah, en Bangladesh. "Eso dejó un impacto duradero en su bienestar físico y mental". Hoy en día, la Sra. Faizah trabaja para las Naciones Unidas. "Si me hubiera casado muy joven, no creo que habría tenido las mismas oportunidades".

Yet families often resort to child marriage because they see it as a girl’s only option – a belief fuelled by poverty, insecurity and gender inequality.

"En mi ciudad natal se obliga a muchas niñas a contraer matrimonio. Los padres tienden a pensar que las niñas no tienen futuro si no se casan", explica Hayat Outemma al UNFPA en Marruecos. "Soy muy afortunada porque pude terminar la escuela. Ahora soy maestra y activista social, y trabajo para cambiar la mentalidad sobre la educación de las niñas y el matrimonio infantil".

Image courtesy of Hayat Outemma

Yet families often resort to child marriage because they see it as a girl’s only option – a belief fuelled by poverty, insecurity and gender inequality.

The girls involved in these marriages are extremely vulnerable. They may be exposed to violence, and are often unable to advocate for their needs and rights.

"A los 15 años dejé de asistir a la escuela para casarme con un sargento del ejército 20 años mayor que yo", declara Chipasha, hoy en día defensora de niñas en Zambia. "Mi esposo abusó de mí... incluso cuando estaba embarazada de su hijo". Pero entonces comenzó a visitar un espacio seguro apoyado por el Programa Mundial para Poner Fin al Matrimonio Infantil, del UNFPA-UNICEF. "Con la ayuda de nuestra mentora, finalmente salí junto con mi bebé de un matrimonio abusivo".

Child marriages take place all over the world, across a wide range of communities and religions.

En Estados Unidos, Jada fue amenazada con el matrimonio infantil forzoso con apenas 12 años. Buscó ayuda en el grupo de derechos Tahirih, y encontró refugio en casa de un pariente. "He logrado cosas fabulosas por no haberme casado temprano", afirma Jada, que ahora tiene 17 años. "He seguido mi sueño de convertirme en bailarina".

Image courtesy of Jada Martinez

Child marriages take place all over the world, across a wide range of communities and religions.

But when girls know their rights, they can stand up for themselves.

En Georgia, los padres de Chinara Kojaeva intentaron casarla con solo 15 años. "Me puse en contacto con la policía, y más tarde mis padres me prometieron que me permitirían recibir instrucción y no casarme hasta que cumpliera 18 años". Pero cuando tenía 17 años, intentaron nuevamente obligarla a contraer matrimonio. Ella lo denunció a las autoridades y se mudó a un refugio. Allí Chinara asiste a clases y aprende a pintar y a boxear. "Aquí empecé una nueva vida", sostiene.

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme is reaching millions of girls and community members with information and services to end child marriage.

"Al crecer no me di cuenta de que a muchas niñas se les niega la instrucción y se las fuerza a casarse precozmente. Tuve la suerte de recibir una educación que me abrió las puertas", afirma Marie-Claude Bibeau, ministra de Desarrollo Internacional de Canadá. El Gobierno de Canadá es uno de los principales promotores del Programa Mundial. "Todos debemos trabajar incansablemente para ayudar a las niñas y mujeres jóvenes a superar las barreras a sus derechos y desarrollo para que puedan alcanzar su máximo potencial".

Image courtesy of Global Affairs Canada

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme is reaching millions of girls and community members with information and services to end child marriage.

Still, child marriage is not declining fast enough. If efforts to end child marriage are not accelerated, over 150 million more girls will marry by 2030.

"El 90 % de mis amigas de la secundaria se casaron siendo adolescentes", calcula Roceli Dzib García al hablar con el UNFPA en México. "He podido continuar mi educación universitaria gracias al apoyo de mi madre".

For those who do escape child marriage, a lifetime of opportunity awaits.

"He visto niñas casadas que viven una vida infeliz," asegura Rukaiyah, en Indonesia, quien soportó años de ridículo por negarse a casarse muy joven. "Hacía oídos sordos cuando mis amigas se burlaban de mí; me llamaban 'vieja virgen'". Ella, en cambio, dedicó su energía a apoyar los derechos de las mujeres y a crear su propio negocio de fabricación de chips. Hoy tiene amplio personal y una familia feliz. "Creo que las mujeres deben poder desarrollar sus talentos y aprovechar todas las oportunidades de cara al futuro", declara.