Here in the (civilized) West, we are used to thinking of marriage as a happy occasion. When my wife and I married, almost 33 years ago, it was one of the brightest, happiest days of our lives. I’ve since walked three of my four daughters down the marriage aisle, and those have all been happy occasions. But that’s here — in the civilized world.
It’s not just one world.
In Iraq, the government’s lawmakers are considering legislation to lower the acceptable marriage age for girls into single digits. Yes, that’s correct; they are proposing to allow nine-year-old girls, who should be playing with dolls and having tea parties, to be married, with all that entails. “Batta” (not her real name) is one that this happened to, at age 11, and her account is horrifying.
She was just 11 when she was sold into wedlock with a man 36 years her senior. In the nine years since,…
