Sonita Alizadeh- Activist against child marriage

Sonita Alizadeh, rapper, activist against child marriage

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“Rap music let’s you tell your story to other people. Rap music is a platform to share the words that are in my heart.” - Sonita 

By  Gerrishon Sirere

  Each year, 13.5 million girls are married before the age of 18. That is 28 girls every minute. 1 every 2 seconds. This is unacceptable and therefore we stand in solidarity with Sonita Alizadeh and all global advocates campaigning to end child marriage for good. 
Child marriage is not only a basic human rights infringement, but also exposes girls to reproductive health risks and early pregnancy, as well as violence and exploitation. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty and the disproportionate effect it has on girls and women.
With the recognition that this brutal practice often leads to girls feeling disempowered and can prevent them from accessing healthcare and education, we call on world leaders to enact and enforce laws to make child marriage illegal, as a key step forward in achieving gender equality.
We call on you to #LeveltheLaw by committing to end child marriage. As Sonita says, we must work together to “build a world where every girl is allowed to reach her full potential, make her own choices, and live the life she chooses for herself.” We stand alongside Sonita and all girls and women to create a brighter future for all.

 When Sonita Alizadeh was 16 her parents were prepared to sell her to a man for marriage. Now, thanks to bravely using rap to speak out and tell her family how she felt, she's studying on a full scholarship in the United States and working to end child marriagefor girls all around the world.

In Afghanistan, where Sonita is originally from, 57% of girls are married before they are 19. And this year alone, 13.5 million girls worldwide under the age of 18 will be forced marry before they have finished school or their bodies have matured. Almost one third of these girls will be under the age of 15.

These girls are being robbed of their childhood and their right to live a life of their own choosing, while they could grow up making significant contributions to the social and economic development of their communities.

To end forced marriage we need to ensure that governments enact and enforce laws against this abusive practice. We must also work at the grassroots level with families, communities, religious leaders and advocates like Sonita to effect change.

Sonita is a true champion of human rights. After liberating herself, she directed her attention to all the other young girls who are unable to break free from child marriage.

Stand with Sonita and sign the petition to make sure world leaders #LeveltheLaw and hear our message: The time to end child marriage is NOW.

The time to end child marriage is NOW.