Women throughout the world experience many horrors. There are child marriages in India, subsidized women’s rights in the Middle East, mass rape in Darfur, and many other infringements on women throughout the world.

In many places, women are looked down upon and do not share the same rights as men do. Take India, home of unique cultures and great food, but behind the Taj Mahal and the monsoon weather, there are atrocities that occur. Women still continue to go through many horrors in their society. India’s society may not practice all of their old beliefs, but many still remain.

Child marriages are still apparent in not only India, but many other countries as well. Young girls are forced to marry and leave their families at an inappropriate  age. A recent UNICEF report shows that 18% of young girls are married by the age of 15 in India, 29% in Bangladesh, and 28% in Niger. Not only is this percentage too high, it is scary. Why are girls being subjected to a life where they have no choice in the matter?

Studies show that many of the factors that lead up to child marriages are often due to financial instability, and many families marry off their daughter hoping to avoid poverty. It also has become a norm, and many families would want to uphold some type of “family honor” and follow what is expected.

Child marriages also arise in times of conflict and disaster. This is very evident in Nepal right now, as their recent earthquake has turned their world upside down. According to a recent Reuters article, the earthquake will result in a dramatic increase of child marriage as many families turn to child marriage in order to protect their girls from the burdens that come along with natural catastrophes. Nepal already has a high rate of child marriage, as one in ten girls are expected to be wed by the age of fifteen, and this number is predicted to increase because of their current crisis.

In many countries child marriage has been used as a survival strategy, hoping to relieve a girl’s burden during troubling times. But these mechanisms have only backfired, as many young girls are ill-suited for their new roles, and often are forced to take on this lifestyle.

Child marriages stand in the way of a girl’s education. Without a proper education, these practices are expected to continue. They are to go on without opposition because people become too in tune with their customs and are blinded by their traditions. In Niger, 81% of women married  between the ages of 20-24 have no education. Niger has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, and the website GirlsnotBrides states that three out of four girls are wed before their eighteenth birthday.

Getting an education in foreign countries is hard as is, but trying to get one while expected to be a wife and mother is much more difficult. Hindering education not only leads to an increase in child marriage, but also contributes to increased poverty. The Council on Foreign Relations believe that countries with high rates of child marriage tend to be among the world’s most fragile and least stable with weakened institutions and limited economic opportunity.

Many countries outlaw child marriage, but it is often not enforced and young girls go into a family without the skills needed to lift their families out of poverty. Education is a powerful tool, and when used, it will make a difference. Education will delay child marriage and shift the norm to attending school rather than getting married as soon as possible.

Empowering young girls to take charge of their life and assert their right to choose when they want to get married will leave a long lasting impact not only in their society, but around the world as well. Young girls are children, not brides.