Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association last month was in India and Bangladesh for child brides. These two countries are mostly on top of the list of child marriage traditional practise existing countries. One expert from Girls not Brides and one another from Directorate General on the Status of Women were with the team of Flying Broom as well. During the site visit lasted two weeks, Flying Broom team witnessed the campaings about the struggle against child marriage and shared expeirences and practises in India and Bangladesh.

Last mounth the group of people from Flying Broom Women’s New Center have been in India and Bangladesh in order to see how child marriages are experienced in there. It was observed that destructive traditions which are legalized by the societies last also in India and Bangladesh. Similarly with the Turkish tradition what is called as ‘baslik parasi’ (bride price) is applied in India as ‘drahoma’.

“Women and girls who are forced to marry find themselves in servile marriages for the rest of their lives,” warned United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, in a statement to commemorate the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, which is celebrated on 2 December. “They are deprived of their genuine right to make their own choice for their future.”

The special edition of Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association’s journal on ‘early and forced marriages’ in English is out. In the journal printed in association with the Norwegian Embassy, the slogan ‘Early marriage:  one size too big!’  is drawing attention.

N.T. from Çorum was only 15 when she lost her parents. She moved to her aunt and uncle when the court appointed the aunt main custody. But when her aunt tried to marry the girl off to a neighbor, her brother went for legal help. The helping hand came from the Turkish Network against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Graça Machel was the first education minister of Mozambique. Desmond Tutu is archbishop emeritus of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. They are members of The Elders, a group of independent leaders working for peace and human rights.