Joining the Fight to End Child Marriages

Joining the Fight to End Child Marriages

    I have researched, written and interviewed a co-chair of Girls Not Brides USA, now it’s time to make a change. In my previous two posts I informed people about child marriages and interviewed someone that works directly with an organization trying to help end them. I did a little more investigating of what is already being done to help fight child marriages to get an idea of what I could do. Organizations like CARE, Woman’s World Wide Web and GlobalGiving that are working globally, ask for donations from people for different projects. Some examples of these projects are, a radio segment in South Kivi to make people aware of child marriages, helping girls in Sierra Leone stay in school, giving Indian child brides access to healthcare and buying bikes for girls in Nepal so that they can get to school. I think that while these projects may seem simple, simplicity is exactly what this fight needs in order to work. In the United States, legal action is the best way to tackle child marriages but in other places around the world it may not be. I encourage people who read this, if they can, to donate to some of these projects.

    Recently, a bill was proposed in Pennsylvania by House Representative Perry S Warren that would change the age at which a marriage license can be issued. The bill has been co-sponsored by a total of 26 House representatives, 9 of which represent Philadelphia. There are 16 other Philadelphia House representatives that are not yet supporting the bill. As a part of my agent of change I decided to write to the legislators thanking them for co-sponsoring the bill and asking those who aren’t, to vote to pass the bill. After learning about the bill being proposed, I knew that I wanted to get involved some way. I wanted to write and send letters because I believe that it is the best way for me to become an agent of change. My original idea was to just write to the representatives that were not supporting the bill but I wanted to also write thank you letters to express my gratitude for the bill being proposed. Some of the representatives that sent letter to are, Perry S Warren, Rosita Youngblood, Michael O'Brien and Stephen Kinsey. My hopes are that the representatives will continue to support adolescents in Pennsylvania and that I will persuade for them to pass the bill.

Pictures of me addressing and enveloping the letters.

In addition to the letter writing I also donated to Girls Not Brides by purchasing a sweatshirt from Shethority. Shethority is a charity campaign that was started by a group of actresses from the DCTV shows such as Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The goal and campaign of Shethority is to create "a positive place for women and the feminine to inspire, empower, and share". All of the proceeds from the International Women’s Day sweatshirt went to the Girls Not Brides Organization. I wanted to support both Shethority and Girls Not Brides because while my project is largely about finding a way to end child marriages, it is also about the empowerment of young girls and young people. I believe that supporting organizations that strive to do that is just as important as writing to House representatives.

Shethority logo and a picture of me wearing a Shethority sweatshirt.

    After doing this project I have a better understanding of how I can get involved in global issues, like child marriages. I learned about the challenges of finding ways to become an agent of change as well. With such a large issue it was difficult to discover effective ways to make a change. Something I would do differently if I had the chance, is interview more people regarding child marriages. While my one interview with Rachel Clement was very informative, I wish that I would have conducted more than one interview. This project has been rewarding in so many different ways, and I am looking forward to continuing to be an agent of change. The fight to end child marriages is far from over, but steps are being taken in the right direction everyday.