Student Union
- By Parth Vohra
Girls As Young As Infants Married by Parents
Even before you finish reading this sentence, a girl-child will have gotten married in some part of the world illegally, new research reported Tuesday.
Nearly 1 in every 4 seconds, or 20,000 girls younger than 18 are married each day illegally.
Like the 12-year-old girl who was raped by her cousin and forced by her aunt to marry him, according to the report.
The research marks the International Day of the Girl on October 11. Child marriage is a human rights violation and a form of violence against girls, according to the report by Save the Children and the World Bank.
“I was crying as they carried out the marriage rituals,” the 12-year-old said. “My aunt told me to do whatever my husband told me.” Her husband was 23.
“Child marriage is a harmful practice that disproportionately affects millions of girls each year, with negative impacts on their health, education, and opportunities in life.”
Girls -- and boys -- who marry younger than 18 are not ready for marriage, sex or reproduction, the report says, and seldom complete secondary schooling. Child marriages are often forced and often happen between a young girl and an older man without consent.
Most countries have set 18 as the minimum legal age for girls marrying, but governments still grapple with enforcing child-marriage laws because of competing cultural and religious laws. In many countries worldwide, girls can be married younger than 18 if their parents or courts consent.
That is a huge driver of illegal child marriages, says Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children.
Another driver of girl-child marriage is the attitude of parents toward their daughters, Miles told VOA StudentU.
Parents marry off their daughters way sooner than they are ready because women are valued economically less than men. Parents typically invest more in the education of their sons more than their daughters, resulting in a cycle of oppression for women, says Miles.
In parts of Ethiopia, the practice of female genital mutilation or circumcision (FGM/C) is common to enhance a girl's marriageability.
"FGM/C is seen as a pre-requisite for marriage, not only to safeguard virginity, but to enhance popular feminine virtues: the qualities of a wife and mother," according to Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of more than 800 organizations from more than 95 countries "committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfil their potential."
“We will not see a world where girls and boys have the same opportunities to succeed in life until we eradicate child marriage,” Miles said in a press release. “When a girl gets married too young, her role as a wife and a mother takes over. She is more likely to leave school, she may become pregnant and suffer abuse.”
But, it's not only the attitude of parents about their daughters that needs to change, Miles said. The bias that boys have against their female classmates and family members needs to improve.
Two-thirds of Grade 4 boys in parts of Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire said they believe that boys are smarter than girls, according to a Save the Children survey. Nearly 40 percent of Grade 4 boys in the U.S. agreed with them. Half of the parents of American fourth-graders said that the father is the head of the house.
Child marriage can be reduced if laws are implemented and strengthened. Education and economic opportunities for girls should be encouraged by parents, Miles said.
The 12-year-old escaped the chains of her husband and aunt with the help of her uncle, and ended at a safe house supported by Save the Children in Dakar.
She was 12. And five months pregnant.
Today she has a baby named Aida. She has completed a sewing course with the help of center.
The eradication of child marriage by 2030 is among the United Nation's sustainable development goals.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
