An Afgan childbride
Look at this clip about an Afghan girl. She was send away from her family when only six years old. She went to stay with the family to whose son she was betrothed. For five years, almost half her life now, The abused her, and beat her. She had to sleep outside with the animals. They used her body as a table and cut the meat with sharp knives on her child’s body. They threw a pan of scalding water over her, broke her arm, and knocked unconcious. She crawled into the street at night, She was found in the street and brought to the police. She is now in a shelter.
Torpekay, for example, is an Afghan girl from western Herat Province. Although just 17, she has been married for four years.
Torpekay tells RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan that becoming a wife at the tender age of 13, being forced to serve her husband’s family, and having virtually no say in her own life have taken a heavy toll on her. So heavy, she says, that she tried to escape: by taking her own life.
She survived the attempt, and has been recovering at a local hospital. “I was so angry that I wanted to kill myself,” she says, asking that her surname not be used. “I didn’t have a knife, I didn’t have any drug to inject into myself, so I decided to set myself on fire. Using gasoline was the easiest way.”
These girls don’t even remember their wedding day because they were so young. They say, ‘We had a wedding, but we didn’t even understand what the ceremony meant.'”
The risk of death during pregnancy or childbirth for girls under 14 is five times higher than for adult women.
Heartbreaking interview with reporter Stephany Sinclair about what she saw in Afganistan.
Save the Women! 
on October 13, 2009 on 12:53 am
I just found your excellent blog today through the comment you left on my blog. I’m linking to your blog and I think it provides a very valuable service.
I live in Morocco and would like to tell you that the situation is much better here. There are probably abuses occuring here as elsewhere, but generally speaking, women are treated quite well in Morocco. I’d say that was my biggest surprise moving here 17 years ago
Paloma
on October 13, 2009 on 4:22 pm
Paloma Pentarian, greetings. Thank you for the nice reply. I liked you site very much too and am puttinbg it in my blogroll.
I think Saudi Arabia, Afganistan and Pakistan are the worst places for women on the planet. They are hell on Earth for women.
I have not been in Morocco, but I have heard before it’s a much better place.
I think there is some abuse as almost the whole world is based on patriarchal religions now. But I also think that when religions do not get too much power it is better for everybody. And especially for women.
Anyway, Thank you for your nice comment. 🙂
on October 22, 2009 on 3:46 am
I have written this on another blog, but I thought it is worth repeating here.
You cannot separate this issue from the religion. The primary reason why child marriages are not illegal in some Muslim countries is the fact that the prophet of Islam married a 6 year old and played with until she reached the age of 9 at which time he had intercourse to complete the marriage. Sorry to be blunt, but that is at the core of this problem.
Now even moderate Muslims cannot escape this fact. They have only few choices:
1) They have to admit that the prophet is a pedophile.
2) Say that it is OK to marry a girl at that age since the prophet did it. This has to come at the expense of ignoring all the psychological and physical issues that arise for those children.
3) Play the intellectual acrobatic game that has many different arguments:
a) It was customary at the time for girls to marry at younger age. This does not hold water since Islam is sold as a religion for all times and all places.
b) Change the age of Aysha to something older. I do not buy this argument for all the reasons that there were many haidith that described how Mohamad played with her (in disgusting details) while she was a child between age 6 and 9.
c) Say it is OK for the prophet to do that, since he was given license from Allah to do it in the same way he was given a license to marry 11 women and had his unknown share of slave girls.
d) Girls at the time were more mature. This again does not hold water. Girls 1400 years ago had the same physiology as today and probably were less prepared for sex and pregnancy, because of lack of proper nutrition.
e) more acrobatics….
So far Muslims have taken either option 2 or 3 above, because option 1 will never be considered.