War has changed many values and social traditions in Syria; Eid becomes visiting cemetery remembering the sweet memories that will not happen again, weddings at which people used to celebrate for seven nights turn to be small parties with the absence of the groom due to the high rate of immigration by young men to other countries seeking better work opportunities and escaping arresting or obligatory service to fight with regime forces. Here parents become forced to do all ceremonies without the groom so that later on to be sent to where he is.
Probably marriage is the most affected tradition by war. Earlier young men used to get married when they were (28-30) years since they had to wait until they finish their high education to look for a job in order to earn the money enough to afford marriage ceremony. Nowadays, things changed to both the young men and girls; “underage-girls marriage” has spread particularly among those living in the camps by borders or in nearby countries.
“Mohanned”, a soldier who had split from regime army in Daraa and sought refuge in Alzaatary camp in Jordan, said: “when I reached the camp I was shocked to see girls beyond fifteen years old holding babies, at first I thought tat they are their brothers and sisters, but later on I was shocked after I got to know them that they re their children. In my mind I wondered what are the reasons driving their parents to make their daughters got married at this early age… at childhood?!!
Obviously ignorance and poverty are the basic factors contributing in to spread of this phenomena; parents believe that making their daughters get married will decrease the financial burden with a rate that eighty percent of the Syrians are beyond poverty line. They also have stopped to send their daughters to school for many reasons for instance fearing raids or for social reasons which was almost gone but they return to appear after war.
“Rama” a 14-year-old girl and from Idlib countryside, said: “My elder sisters have not get married .. my parents make me married the first suitor to me where they keep telling me it is better than to be spinster like my elder sisters. This continued to be repeated in my mind. I thought marriage is a house and white dress but later I turned to be wrong.. whenever I see my friends going to school, I cry and get sad”.
War has brought back many wrong beliefs about the concept of marriage, some consider it a way and a solution to offer the girl a suitable life for fearing being spinsters; the thing that has contributed in increasing the rate of such marriages is suitors choosing girls beyond the legal age.
“Ahmad Alomar” a social researcher from Idlib city said: ” we noticed in the last years that young men beyond 23 years old are getting married where this play a part in increasing the rate of underage-girls marriage. They think that young girl can acclimate quickly and can easily get accustomed to her husband habits and traditions, but an educated girl or adult girl is hard to be content and requires more than the underage one who accept the few specially if she is of a poor family”.
UNICEF lately published a photo of girl in one of the camps by borders calling the local communities to stop marriages of underage-girls. The organization considers this a violation of human rights. It published a recent statistic informing that 47.700 teenagers are getting married everyday; it launched on World Population Day a campaign “No for Children marriage”, will this campaign be heard well urging the society to issue a law preventing it or will it be unaffected without any influence?
By Samah Alkhaled
Translated by Sabah Najem
#Syrian_Press_Center
Underage-Girls Marriage; A crime Against Childhood Aggravating in War.. Will Be A Law Prevent it?
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