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In the next 60 seconds, 28 girls will be married. Another 28 will be married in the minute after that. And then 28 more. And so on. Every year, 15 million children become wives.
Young women who are actually still girls — but who already have a husband, and sometimes even a child: It is a fate shared by Abaynesh of Ethiopia, Ramgani of India and Nayane of Brazil.
Each has her own story and her own way of dealing with the situation. SPIEGEL ONLINE asked them to share theirs.
Nayane, 15 years old, from Brazil
Nayane and her twin sister Nayara have their eyes glued to their phones, which are vibrating with each incoming message.
Nayara hasn’t left the house in three months, a punishment imposed upon her by the “Red Command,” the drug gang that controls her community, for having a relationship with a man from a rival group.
Nayane is keeping her company during her confinement. They are lounging on the bed in a small weathered room in a house in Parque União, located in the Maré favela in northern Rio de Janeiro.
Nayane is holding her 10-month-old daughter Ana Sophia in her lap.
The twins are 15-years-old, but aren’t currently attending school. At the moment, Nayane is getting ready to go to a funk music party — the same party where she once met the father of her daughter.
The young mother has his photo on her T-shirt. He was involved in drug trafficking and was shot to death during a police operation six months ago.
Brazil has the fourth largest number of child marriages in the world. Almost 1 million women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married before they were 15, and 3 million entered matrimony before turning 18.
The minimum age for marriage in Brazil is 16 with parental consent, but the age limit can be lowered in cases of pregnancy. Continue reading
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