I got my magazine yesterday and was horrified at this article. It is heartbreaking. A bit of me wonders if this is for real or sensationalism. (really really hoping it is sensationalism.) http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...es/gorney-text __________________ :shock::cry:
My browser blocked it as a reported attack page. I'd recommend waiting a few days until they clean things up, and then trying again. Sounds like an interesting article, though!
I am sadly not shocked by this article. Cultures are vastly different from ours in North America and child marriage as sickening as it is has been happening for centuries. I tell myself and my children we are so blessed to be in a free country. A country where perhaps woman aren't always treated completely equal but a country where they aren't subjected to such torment. May their campaign to end this work out.
Wow. This article didn't really surprise me, either, except that 5 year olds were being purposely married off. I know 9 & 10 year olds are, but 5? Sheesh! I guess I was under the assumption that cultures who do this at least wait until puberty. Apparently not.
The article did mention that the little girls are wed, but live with their parents until puberty. This is sickening ,though. I saw this movie "Maya" once...about another hideous practice in some deeply rural and illetrate parts of India, where the parents "give" their young daughter to the temple, inexchange for good fortne from the gods...sth like that, but basically it meant that that young girl got raped by the 4 priests who presided over the giving away ceremony, and after that she would wear a special band around her writst marking her as a woman of service...an unpaid prostitute...where culture demands that she has to submit heself to ANYone who demands her services. She can never marry, never work, but must survive by begging. Disowned by her family too. I couldnt stop thinking abt that for days afterward. Sickening!
I again would like to say we are fortunate to live in the free countries that we do. And that we need to teach our own daughters how lucky they are. And our sons need to learn to respect women so they don't perpetuate the idea that woman are for servitude. I am appalled by many practices in the world that subject females and children to sexual exploitation of any kind with such devestating results to their persons. I recall hearing some pretty heinous crimes against children in the world. But as my fellow homeschooling moms like to point out once its in our heads its hard to shake. I don't want to share information that will haunt anyone elses mind. Just count our blessings and focus on the love in the world. Raise our kids to do the same. And pray to God that the world will see change for the sake of future girls and the ones now who are in such horrible circumstances.
Unfortunately, the sex trade is alive and well, including young girls as sex slaves, in both the USA and Canada. It's just well-hidden. Yes, our girls AND BOYS need to understand and respect themselves and others.
How very sad. No, I'm not surprised either. One of my very best friend, actually she calls me her "American Mom", was born in India to a very poor family with 12 children. They could not fee all of their children so they "sent the girls to work in the city," when my friend was just 11 years old. I wonder if she was sold. I wouldn't ask her that, I doubt she knows, and it may make her feel even worse about what happened. Thankfully she was kept as a house servant, not as a sex slave. She was brought to America in her early 20s to be a house servant. Actually, I would say she was kept as a slave. Her "Madame" and "Sir" kept her passport and didn't allow her to leave the house for 7 years. They didn't pay her for doing the work of what would have been many servants in India. She cared for the children, made the meals, cleaned the massive house, shoveled the snow, did all of the yard work. It was insane. She worked from early morning, sometimes through the night, if they had one of their big parties with guest to be served. She also slept on the floor, when there were extra rooms and beds available to her, and kept her things in a cardboard box in the basement. My friend is a Christian, and after those 7 years, the finally let her out for a couple hours on Sunday mornings to attend church. Well, that was the beginning of the end of her servitude. My friend is now 35 years old has her green card, and is working on her GED. She had never had the opportunity to get her education, and yet she taught herself to read and speak English. Interestingly, she has gone back to India to visit her family, and they are very upset that she isn't married yet. :roll: They even asked to speak to us, one day when our friend was on the phone. They wanted us to arrange a marriage for her. It is shameful to them to have an unmarried daughter. It is a very different culture. I count my blessings.
She sounds very lucky. She could have easily been a sex slave, even after coming to this country. I've heard other accounts of such things here, usually by wealthy Indian or Pakistani families.
