We should not have forced marriages in the 21st century 

We all know about stories of forced marriages depicted in traditional Africa. A girl would be whisked away in the night to live with an unknown man as his wife. This would be done without the consent of the girl who in most cases would be below the age of consent. In essence, this was not only about forced marriages but also children being married off by their own parents.

But society has since evolved and some of these traditions should not have a place in this age and era.

But unfortunately, this practice is still going on in our societies.

In less developed countries, especially in the rural areas, girls and women are believed to be forced into marriage every year. Most of these victims are young women from very deprived families, and they’re told that if they marry the men chosen by their parents, their families would be wealthy.

We should stand up against this vice as society. It deprives young girls of a future and normal life. As society we have concealed this act and it is very hard for the authorities to curb it because the victims connive with their abusers to keep it away from the eyes of the public.

Often those forced into marriage suffer from depression and feel rejected by society without any sense of justice and fairness in the kind of life they’re living.

However, stopping forced marriages starts with you. You have to decide what your life will be, which is part of growing up and becoming an adult. When you make your own decisions, good or bad you’ll never regret or feel like you’re living in denial.

If your family wants to force you into marriage, refuse because this is about your life and future.