ANOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gorney, Cynthia. Too Young to Wed – The Secret World of Child Brides. National Geographics.
June 2011
Gorney’s article speaks volumes about the secretive wedding ceremonies of child brides.
She speaks about the dangers of getting caught marrying these very young girls; one she
speaks about is only 5 years old. She actually travels to a remote village north of India
and sees firsthand, not only, the traditions surrounding these marriages, but the bribery
and conspiracy that encompass these families who are discreetly marrying their
daughters off in the dead of the night.
This article, from National Geographic, is an excellent source for my paper, since it is an
inside look into these customs. Gorney does an incredible job of describing in detail the
two sisters and their niece who are about to be wed and the fear that surrounds this
ceremony. Gorney also talks extensively about the forced child marriages in Yemen and
how a 10-year-old Yemen bride ran away from her husband and ultimately divorced
him.
Hossein, Rokheya, S. Sultana’s Dream. (1880-1932) Transcribed from Sultana’s Dream and
Padmarag: two feminist utopias. New Dehli, India: Penguin, 2005.
This is such a fun story of what it would be like if women ruled the world. The tables are
turned, so to speak, and the women in this story shut the men indoors and they work in
two hours what men could do in six. They use technology to control the weather and
make use of solar heat. There is no crime. This is a story of a purity that is held above
all else, and their religion is based on love and thruth.
This story will help to show another perspective on forced marriage and that would be
forcing men to stay indoors. This story turns the tables on the men and it would be nice
to be able to do that in my paper.
Jua, Roselyne, M. Circles of Freedom and Maturation in Hannah Crafts’ The Bondwoman’s
Narrative. Journal of Black Studies. November 2009; 40(2): 310-326.
This article is well done in regard to pulling out excerpts of Hannah’s narrative to show
the “trials and tribulations she experiences and charts her growth from slavery to
freedom (Jua, 310).” It also talks about knowledge; “the ability to read is a survival
technique (Jua, 314).” “Reading becomes a gateway to freedom for the slave (Jua, 314).”
This article will be extremely helpful to me in showing the power of education, and how
an education can truly be a gateway out of any deplorable situation. Jua also talks
about how Crafts “insists on portraying strong women – women who do not cave under
pressure… (Jua, 315).” If women are always portrayed as strong maybe the child brides
of our world can draw on that strength and educate themselves and be freed of their
bondage.
Komter, Aafke. Hidden Power in Marriage. Gender and Society. June, 1989; 3(2): 187-216.
This research is about the hidden power in marriage. It discusses the “structure of
informal power in gender relationships (Komter, 187).” This study found that women
could not make changes in their marriages, because they needed the support of their
husbands. These husbands showed “considerable reluctance concerning greater gender
equality in marriage (Komte, 212).” Regardless of the status of the woman, whether
working or domestic, the husband was still the ultimate decision maker, which
reinforces the inequality between them. The question Komte’s research is left with,
which has been a long standing question in the feminist world is, “can partners in a
marriage ever be equal? (Komter, 214)” Their solution to this long-standing problem is a
“revived and strengthened women’s movement could help by continued efforts to lay
bare the sociocultural and psychic roots of gender inequality (Komte, 214).”
This is a study of married couples in the western world and doesn’t shed any light on
how to stop forced child marriages around the world; in places like Yemen, Indonesia,
and Africa to name a few. I would have liked to see more steps to equality in these
marriages, but generations of marriages have somehow survived this way. As for, young
children forced into marriages; they have no say in any aspect of their relationship. At
least in the western world women are standing firm and gaining one step at a time and
enjoying parts of their marriages. Even egalitarian relationships have their downfalls in
our society.
Nour, Nawal, M. “Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Right Issue.” Obstetrics &
Gynecology. Winter 2009; 2(1):51-56.
There are 6 main points in this particular research done be Nawal Nour. First, over 60
million marriages include a girl under the age of 18 (Nour, 55). Second, some of the
main reasons given for marrying a child off at such a young age are “protection from
rape, poverty, and the reinforcement of social ties (Nour, 56).” Third, Marriage before
the age of 18 increases the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in girls (Nour,
56). Fourth, there is an unfortunately high risk of death during pregnancy and also the
high infant mortality rate. Lastly, a solution is given. Education; which will delay
marriage and change awareness, attitudes and practices leading to risky sexual behavior
(Nour, 56).
This research is an incredible resource for my topic. It talks about human and children’s
rights, factors driving child marriage, health consequences of child marriage, and the
many risk factors involved. These risk factors include isolation and depression, sexually
transmitted infections and cervical cancer; and risks during pregnancy, labor and
delivery, and risks for the infants. The good news in this research is that Nour makes
mention to the 10-year old girl from Yemen who ran away from her husband after 2
months of marriage and the publicity surrounding this story cause Yemen to “raise the
legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 (Nour, 55).” Most importantly, Nour informs us that
“numerous children, inspired by this case, have sued for divorce (Nour, 55).”
Ouattara, M., Sen, P. & Thomson, M. Forced Marriage, Forced Sex: The Perils of Childhood for
Girls. Gender and Development. November, 1998; 6(3): 27-33.
In the conclusion of this article, the authors state that “far from being a time of
innocence, pleasure, and freedom, childhood for girls in many countries if fraught with
danger and potential pain. Forced marriage and forced sex within marriage are horrors
that befall countless numbers of girls across the world (Ouattara, 32).” They also go on
to say that “if women’s rights are to be effective, an assessment of existing traditional
laws, and of who creates them and who implements them, should be carried out
(Ouattara, 32).”
This article is very effective in explaining the problems girls are facing all over the world
regarding forced marriage; yet if fails to show any insight on the advocacy for these girls
rights. Many of these organizations speak of the problems, but fail to come up with
solutions that can help these young girls around the world live a more humane and
happy life.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The primary text used for this paper is Hannah Crafts, The Bondwoman’s Narrative
written by a slave in the mid to late 1800s. Crafts speak about the humiliations that slaves
endured; living at the mercy of their masters. Nothing was theirs, not even their lives. They
were property to be bought and sold like cattle and even killed. The Linden tree was a constant
reminder of the pains and sufferings of past slaves’ and the unspeakable cruelties that had
been associated with that tree. Crafts taught herself how to read and write with the help of the
couple down the field whom she called Aunt Hetty and Uncle Siah. Being able to read and write
gave her the ultimate power of freedom.
She spent her life avoiding marriage, because she didn’t want her child(ren) born into
slavery and live the horrible life that she endured. She put her faith in God and in the
brotherhood of all mankind, and she knew there was something better in the afterlife. It
seemed that no matter the cruelties and horrible pains of hard labor she had her eye on a
better future and with that came ultimate freedom from slavery, and finally marriage.
In 1905, Sultana’s Dream was a tale of the domination of men by women. It was a
wonderful place where love and truth ruled. In this dream place men shut indoors and the
women worked and developed technologies while working two hours a day as opposed to the
six hour days the men worked. Men were not trusted, even though they were stronger; the
women locked them inside four walls, like the women in Antebellum south.
Since the early 20th century women had become a force to reckon with in some parts of
the world. This can be described historically as Max Weber’s “concept of power. Weber
defined power as the ability of enforcing one’s will, even against resistance (Komter, 188).”
Throughout the 20th century, no matter how much pressure women put on society to allow
them the rights to vote and work, they still had challenges inside the home. In a 1989 study by
Aafke Komter, he found that “invisible power reflects that already existing power inequality
between husbands and wives, at the same time justifying and confirming it (Komter, 213).”
In the late 1980s, forced child marriage began to be researched by a new inter-agency
group called the Forum on the Rights of Girls and Women in Marriage, because of wide spread
early, non-consensual marriage and rape in marriage. This was happening in large numbers in
places like Nepal, West Africa, and India. The aim of this agency was “to gather information
and reach a better understanding of the scale of these issues, and of the legal, social, and
health implications (Ouattara, 27).” They go on to say that “the forcing of one human being on
another is an infringement of many human rights (Ouattara, 27),” yet girls across these
countries are denied these basic rights. One of the major reasons for this is tradition; “it is
traditional to continue to subordinate women and girls (Ouattara, 28).” Ouattara and her
colleagues concluded that in order for there to be change, the women and girls that are
affected by these traditions need to raise their voices and fight for change.
Twenty years later, forced child marriage is still around and the topic of discussion is the
health implications forced marriage has on these girls and their offspring. Where studies have
shown these young girls to suffer from isolation and depression; and increased risk of sexually
transmitted infection, cervical cancer, risks during pregnancy, labor and delivery and risks for
the infants they give birth to. According to Nour, “some girls realize that survival requires
embracing their new environment and proving their fertility (Nour, 53).” Because of the media,
some of these girls are now being heard after a 10-year-old, Yemeni girl ran away from her
husband of two months. Since this incident where she was granted a divorce, the government
of Yemen “raised the legal age for marriage from 15 to 18 years (Nour, 55).”
As of 2011 girls in Yemen are still are still being forced into marriages because
“schooling cost money, which in a patriarchal family is surely guarding most carefully for sons
(Gorney, 4).” Even girls having the option to choose their own mate is “still regarded in some
parts of the world as misguided foolishness (Gorney, 4).” One of the reasons forced child
marriages happen is because the fathers cannot protect their daughters from rape which will
bring shame to their families. In fact one father in Gorney’s article asked bluntly, “if I am willing
to get my daughter married late, will you take responsibility for her protection (Gorney, 4)?”
This is a question that cannot be easily answered. Many of these girls that are forced into
marriage do not even understand the fact that they are pregnant, or even what pregnancy
means.
All of these articles talk about what needs to be done, but nothing has yet been done on
a large scale level. Small wins, like that of Nujood Ali, a 10-year-old bride escaped from her
husband and wasn’t welcomed by her father because “she had defied her father when he
shouted at her that the family’s honor depended on her fulfilling her wifely obligations (Gorney,
7).” She ultimately was granted a divorce by a judge in Yemen. Since her story aired on media
stations all over the world, many girls have been successful at escaping their forced marriages.
More needs to be done for these young girls. They need assistance in being able to be
educated and able to live happy fulfilling lives. Worldwide organizations need to step up and
help save these innocent children. Until this day, organizations just talk about the problem and
no action has yet been taken.