society
May 14, 2024

Child marriage in Norway? Action should shake up

Thea is blonde, big eyes, with a sweet smile - and she is planning her wedding. The chosen one is Geir and is 37 years old. In her blog, which looks very pink, she talks about anticipation, plans and her worries. Thea is only twelve. And the October 11th event she is preparing for is a child marriage.

"Theas Bryllugsblogg" shocked the people of Norway this week. Can it really be that a girl in Europe has to marry a grown man? On the blog, Thea shows photos of herself in the bridal gown, telling who's going to sing at her wedding, and also wondering if she has to do "it" on the wedding night with Geir. Her mother told her that she needed to be sexy for her husband. "It's sort of weird and disgusting, and actually nobody can force me to, I refuse, but my mother says I should think about it and now I can not think about anything else," Thea writes, posting photos of sexy lingerie. Will she stand that?

Thea and her "fiancée" Geir

The Norwegians are outraged, thousands are venting their anger on the net, want to prevent the child marriage in any case. Only then does it come out: Thea's wedding is an action of the children's aid organization "Plan". Nothing is real. But what Thea describes is a reality for other children. Every day there are 39,000 children weddings worldwide. There are 14 million children brides per year. 14 million girls who, like Thea, are forced by their relatives to take a step they should be happy about but who actually scare them. And for many it will be a lifelong nightmare. Where is the outcry?

The action is blatant, but it works. As long as child marriage is a problem of distant countries, we displace them successfully. But if the affected child could be our own or our little sister, the whole horror of this practice is suddenly palpable. On World Girl Day, the fictional Thea is scheduled to perform in front of the altar. Then the spook is over for them. The other, the "real" children brides still have to wait for our outcry.

Video: Thea says no

Thea shows the wedding rings

You want to help?

Information on the situation of girls worldwide and children's weddings can be found on the website of the children's aid organization Plan International and Plan Deutschland. Donation addresses are also listed there.