Girls into wives

Chicago Tribune, via Kansas City Star ^ | December 12, 2004 | Paul Salopek

[Graybeard58]

THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA

[mlmr]

Most 16 year olds that I have known, both male and female, were not mature enough to take on the responsibilities of marriage and a family.

Many 16 year olds are ready to take on the responsibilities of life. We artificially prolong childhood. 100 years ago our great grandparents married, started careers and businesses, went to war, and cared for their families at age 16 and younger. The 16 year olds you have known have been products of a wealthy society that can pamper them.

But they do not live it what has been a historical reality.

[aShepard]

Now, if the rich countries only gave much more funding to the UN, the UN could take care of all these problems, and there would be no more suffering anywhere in the world.

[Graybeard58]

I'll bet that's what the UN was going to do with all that oil for food money.

[CyberAnt]

Uh .. excuse me .. I don't think they marry the child for TALKING.

[sweetliberty]

"A grown man marrying a seven year old child! What do they TALK about???"

I doubt that talking is a high priority, at least between man and wife, in these cultures. It is all about duty.

[sweetliberty]

"And so sad that there are so many "humans" in this world who care nothing about the innocence and beauty of childhood."

You don't have to go to Ethiopia to find "humans" who care nothing about the innocence and beauty of childhood. In fact, you probably don't even have to leave your neighborhood.

[Cronos]

Bottom line, these people need the gospel preached to them in their native language, then need education so that they can read the Bible and understand the folly of their ways. This is an ongoing process.

The Ethiopian Church is among the most ancient. They HAVE the gospel preached in their own native language, they HAVE the education and read the bible. What you see hear is due to the shortness of life. How dare you question their religious faith? Ethiopians have been Christians far longer than your ancestors (or mine).

I don't think their conversion, if any of these people were actually personally converted to Christianity, made them abandon their previously barbaric or anti-Christian behavior

'personally converted'? No, they were born Christian, baptised Christians.

[SauronOfMordor]

Only in wealthy cultures is there enough money to support children beyond puberty...and sadly in the poorest culutres, there isn't even that much money

Young marriage seems to come from culture plus economics. In a culture where daughters become part of the husband's family, and do not contribute to their parents support in old age, there is an economic incentive to have a husband start supporting them as early as possible.

The Chinese handle the same situation by aborting females or female infanticide.

The Muslims take care of it via "bride price", thus turning the daughter into a capital investment

[Balding_Eagle]

I have. It goes like this, "Africa is Bush's fault."

LOL! You're right, they do speak out regularly.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The concept of that type of childhood was pretty rare before the Victorian period, when there were finally enough people doing well enough they didn't need to apprentice their kids out at 9 or 10 or 12....or put them directly to work in their own farms or shops.

Most places and times, early childhood gave way to work pretty early. And the poorer you were, the more this was true.

In traditional societies, it is still pretty true.

[RonDog]

Here is a SHORT EXCERPT (just under the 300 word limit) from www.kansascity.com (via Google NEWS):

Posted on Sun, May. 29, 2005


HEATHER STONE/Chicago Tribune

Tihun Nebiyu, 7, (center) sits under an umbrella in
the front yard behind her new husband Ayalew
Dessie, 17 (holding an umbrella) and her sister,
Dinke Nebiyu, 10 (far left), who was also married.
Girls into wives

One 7-year-old's wedding tells the story of 50 million child brides

By PAUL SALOPEK

Chicago Tribune

“In truth, if a girl reaches 13, she is already too old to be married. I know some people say this is uncivilized. But they don't live here. So how can they judge?”— Nebiyu Melese, 54, Tihun's father

THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA — Tihun Nebiyu the goat herder doesn't want to marry. She is adamant about this. But in her village nobody heeds the opinions of headstrong little girls.

That's why she's kneeling in the filigreed shade of her favorite thorn tree, dropping beetles down her dress. Magic beetles.

“When they bite you here — ” Tihun explains gravely, pressing the scrabbling insects into her chest through the fabric of her tattered smock “ — it makes your breasts grow.”

This is Tihun's own wishful brand of sorcery — a child's desperate measure to turn herself into an adult. Then maybe, just maybe, her family would respect her wishes not to wed. She could rebuff the strange man her papa has chosen to be her husband. And she wouldn't have to bear his dumb babies.

Tihun kneels in the dirt, eyes closed: an elfin figure whose smile is made goofily endearing by two missing front teeth. Seconds pass. But nothing happens. Eventually, she starts to giggle. The beetles have escaped — by crawling up her neck.

“It doesn't work!” Tihun says, disgusted. She heaves an exaggerated sigh and squints out across the yellow-grass hills surrounding her world: “I will just have to run.”

But this is childish bluster. Tihun's short legs can't carry her away fast enough from the death of her childhood. Her wedding is five days away. And she is 7 years old...

[mlmr]

Young marriage seems to come from culture plus economics. In a culture where daughters become part of the husband's family, and do not contribute to their parents support in old age, there is an economic incentive to have a husband start supporting them as early as possible.

The Chinese handle the same situation by aborting females or female infanticide.

The Muslims take care of it via "bride price", thus turning the daughter into a capital investment


But arent you still talking about economics here? Bride price and slaughtered infant girls are cultural responses to economic issues. If these people were placed in a wealthy situaiton for a few generations, I imagine that eventually these practices would disappear.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It is OBVIOUS that abortions on demand would be the solution to all their problems. </sarcasm>

[Names Ash Housewares]

"Why are females so hated (or is it feared?) in Africa and the Middle East?"

Because women are civilization.

[Kolokotronis]

"Being a Christian is about a personal relationship with Christ, not something you inherit because you are born into a "Christian" country. To say Ehtiopia is Christian is like saying Hollywood is Christian."

Oh yes, indeed. This is just what Christian Ethopians need after roughly 2000 years as a Christian country...to be taught the Faith according to the Rev. Billy Bob Jeff by white American protestants whose "ecclesial assemblies" have at best an "ancient" maybe 200 year history of constant Biblical revisionism and schism. Good heavens, what presumption!

[NavVet]

Show me the outrage on the left and I will stand corrected, but I don't think you can. Oh the left will march and chant to end aparteid in South Africa, but they turn a blind eye to Zimbabwe. The left will rail against Bob Packwood pinching an intern, but not utter a word when Clinton is giving dictation to an intern. And don't get me started on Amnesty international etc. The left only gets outraged selectively and I'm afraid institutional child abuse would only get them upset if it was going on at the Augusta Country Club.

[Cronos]

The ethiopian father will think that if he gets his daughter married off early, he will ensure that she is well taken care of -- even if the husband dies at 30, the bride will have some money to get on with life. Sad, but true in a society with a short life-expectancy.

[nwrep]

This is just what Christian Ethopians need after roughly 2000 years as a Christian country

Again, with all due respect, the fact that Ethiopians were one of the first converts to Christianity in the First Century AD has nothing to do with these people. This is a decision each generation and each person must make anew. Not one that is passed down or inherited.

Over time, people and societies veer away from or lose the foundation of their faith due to many reasons. This is certainly possible in this case.

In addition, I would say that you are confusing cultural religiosity with personal faith, which forms the basis of the Christian religion. In the absence of this personal relationship, there is nothing other than a vague societal and cultural tradition to adhere to.

[Cronos]

Exactly what I was thinking. Nwrep, I say it was presumptious to doubt the veracity of these people's faith.