Case Study
Guest Post: A Teacher's Perspective on Child Marriage
06/01/13 14:54
The state of education in Pakistan has worsened over time as the country finds itself involved in various developmental challenges. To add to the misery, poverty figures portray a grim picture for the masses causing thousands of families to struggle for survival everyday. Having said that, I see young innocent girls forced to leave school and become young child brides.
I am a teacher--my job is to educate. But when it comes to society’s norms, I am disempowered and helpless. I interact with my students and none of them feel right about being girls in this country. They want to stay in school and get educated, but their parents are pressurized to marry them off because in our society, girls are seen as a “burden” and not as a resource. Young boys are nurtured with a higher preference than young girls because it is perceived that boys are bound to earn a livelihood in the future and take care of their parents, although it is often the girls that are more prone towards taking care of their parents even after they get married and start their own families. Then why is it that we cannot get over this discrimination between our own children and force our daughters to get married at a young age?
For a young girl, an early marriage is bound to create problems. My students are well aware of the negativities that child marriage brings with it. They talk of apprehension for starting a new life with a man, working domestically at his home and then bearing his children. They know that they are merely old enough to take care of themselves, let alone bear a child and then cater for the whole family. They feel deprived and scared because they know that succumbing to the pressure is the only way their parents are going to keep their honors intact. But I feel their distress and I want to be able to do something about it.
Recently, I attended an awareness session organized by FIDA in D. I. Khan, and was impressed by the participation of the local community. I was particularly impressed by the radio messages played on the local radio channel and hoped dearly that parents of the community would absorb the message for the sake of their daughters. What was most exciting for me was when FIDA social organizers visited our school and engaged with my female students through activities that would help them better understand the concept of child marriage and its related issues. The girls were ecstatic and eager to speak up in the debating sessions, quizzes and role-playing sessions. They acted out the roles of young brides beautifully, and it was enlightening to see that they, too, understand the physical and mental challenges associated with early age marriages. Parents through the parent teacher association were also participative and seemed to take the matter with seriousness.
For a young girl, an early marriage is bound to create problems. My students are well aware of the negativities that child marriage brings with it. They talk of apprehension for starting a new life with a man, working domestically at his home and then bearing his children. They know that they are merely old enough to take care of themselves, let alone bear a child and then cater for the whole family. They feel deprived and scared because they know that succumbing to the pressure is the only way their parents are going to keep their honors intact. But I feel their distress and I want to be able to do something about it.
I think it’s time that all of us step in the shoes of our young girls and try to feel what they go through. Why sacrifice their happiness in the name of honor? Why believe that they are a burden on us when they are the ones who care for us more than the boys? The responsibility to bring about a change lies on our shoulders. How willing are you?
Three Year Old Wasif
26/05/12 19:33
Rehana and Ilyas
26/01/12 20:16
Find out how Rehana and Ilyas got their smiles back in these two case studies: Rehana's Story and Ilyas's Story.
Hameeda, Our Youngest Public Health Promoter
26/10/10 18:54
The following day, FIDA’s field staff visited a nearby village and found Hameeda teaching her brothers how to properly wash their hands with soap. Hameeda’s mother told FIDA’s female Public Health Promoters that Hameeda had come home and told everyone in her extended family what she had learned about the importance of personal hygiene.
Now Hameeda is motivating everyone in her family and at the Child Protection Center to adopt proper hand washing methods. She has become FIDA's youngest, honorary Public Health Promoter.
See her case study here.
