Still I am too Small to Marry

    Written by: Wajiha Sayar

Amina calls Gulalai and asks her that she is waiting for her to go to the castle.

Gulalai is weeping and says that she would never be able to go anywhere afterward but Amina insists her to go with her.

Gulalai and Amina reach to the castle and Lalo Mama welcomes them. Lalo Mama asks about the sadness of Gulalai. Gulalai says that she has a problem that does not have any solution.

Lalo Mama takes them inside the castle and there he asks about Gulalai’s problem.

Gulalai says that her father wants to marry her to one of his friends’ son but she is still small and does want to marry now.

Lalo Mama says that this problem is common in many places of Afghanistan and then he opens a window for their information.

Window:

In the window, the reporter of the castle says that Marriage is the religious and natural right of every young boy and girl. All the girls and boys who are prepared to accept the responsibilities of marital life, could legally form family with their consent and family counseling, but in some provinces of Afghanistan, some families, regardless of the age of their daughters, they marry them.

Then the reporter talks to some girls about this issue.

Asma, a resident of Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province says: “Last year when I was a sixth-grade student, my parent engaged me to my cousin without my agreement and consent and my mother-in-law prevented me from going to school. My fiancé is living abroad and he is also against my study. Now I am 15 years old and they want to marry me this year and I am very depressed to leave my study.”

Lema, a resident of Kama district, Nangarhar province has the same problems.

Then the reporter of the castle talks about the effect of marriage in small age with a physician.

The physician says: “Some families do not take into account whether their daughters have reached to the maturity age or not or are they ready to be pregnant or not; and they marry their daughters. Such women face many difficulties during pregnancy and delivery and they might lose their lives during delivery….”

Lalo Mama closes the window. Gulalai asks about the solution of this problem.

Lalo Mama opens another window.

Window:

In the window, the reporter of the castle is talking to some girls that have found a solution to this issue.

A girl, Muslima says: “every girl has the right living and studying and her family does not have the right to marry her in a small age and with her agreement. Our some relatives propose me for their sons. My parents ask my consent. As I am a student, I do not want to be married now and I would decide after the completion of my study and my parents support me.”

Lalo Mama closes this window too.