WED LOCKED
Every two seconds
a girl under 18 is
forced into marriage,
destroying her
childhood and setting
up a cycle of poverty.
To mark International
Day of the Girl Child
on October 11,
Stephanie Sinclair
shares the stories of
helplessness and
hope of child brides
NEPAL
“Anita, 16, was married last year in
Kagati, just outside Kathmandu
Valley. She was very nervous. Her
father was one of the village chiefs, so
she didn’t have much of a choice –
nevertheless, she trusted her father.
She was 16, not 13, which definitely
showed some progress. The situation
had improved for girls in Nepal- in terms of school attendance in
particular – until the earthquake
struck two years ago, destroying
homes and causing poverty in the
area. Poverty can have a direct
impact on child marriages. I don’t
think people want to hurt their
daughters when they marry them, but
I do believe they function inside their
social and economic constraints.”