Too young to wed

As mentioned a couple of days ago, I don't mind having to wait to be seen by my dentist because his* palatial office has a pretty good selection of reasonably up-to-date magazines -- "up-to-date" meaning published in the 21st century.

Among them is National Geographic, which has the best pictures in the world of the world, IMHO.But reading National Geographic is like reading Playboy. [Does Playboy still exist? Ed.] It actually has articles to go with the pictures, and the articles are often worth reading. Case in point: "Too Young to Wed", in the June 2011 issue.

In the article, which you can read online by clicking this link, you can read about the practice -- supposedly illegal but still persistent -- of marrying girls as young as 6 to much older men. The story documents examples in Yemen (pictured above), Rajasthan (in northwestern India), and Nepal. And, of course, Afghanistan, where westerners are still laying down their lives to change the culture and emancipate girls.

What are the chances of putting an end to this centuries-old tradition? Christian missionaries have been trying for centuries to show these heathens -- for that's what they are -- the error of their ways. To no avail. Anyone who thinks there's any hope for change tomorrow or next year or anytime this century should think again.

Read the article. If you want to see more pictures of these pretty sad little girls, you'll have to buy the magazine. Walt recommends it.

* Footnote: Walt's dentist is of indeterminate gender. I call my dentist "the tooth fairy".