Zero agency. That’s what they give these people.
If a family in a third world country sells their daughter, it’s not their fault. It’s not their society’s fault, not their moral framework.
It’s your fault, for having air conditioning.
I’ts their ABC, but you’re paying for it.
Climate change becoming a major driver of child marriage across Asia and the Pacific
By Claire Campbell
Runa was 15 when she married a man she had never met.
Cyclone Remal had ripped through her camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar region, killing her family’s chickens and ducks, which were the source of both their food and income.
Runa’s mother, who had become the sole income earner after her husband died a year earlier, then lost weeks of labouring work due to the natural disaster.
She could no longer financially support Runa, now 17, and her three brothers.
“She felt she had no choice but to arrange my marriage,” Runa told the ABC.
Twelve million girls are tipped to become child brides this year, according to Plan International.
Child marriage is a global problem across cultures and religions.
It is often inherently linked to gender inequality, poverty, food insecurity, and social norms and practices, including family honour and dowry payments.
Climate change is now believed to be a leading contributor to more frequent and younger nuptials.
“Whenever there is a climate change impact … we see a spike in child marriage,” said Plan International’s Tanushree Soni.
“Financial stress is the trigger.
“The families look to lessen the burden because they don’t consider girls to be part of their own families; they consider girls to be part of their [future] husband’s family.
“So investing in girls is not a choice they can afford to make.”
While climate change is not believed to be increasing the number of tropical storms worldwide, scientists and meteorologists say a warmer atmosphere and rising sea temperatures and levels are increasing their intensity, and the impact they have on communities. Continue reading ABC: If a family in Banglatrash sells their daughter, it’s not their fault. It’s ‘climate change’
