It’s thought that an almost unbelievable figure of more than 33,000 girls under the age of sixteen years old are married across the world each day. It’s a shocking amount and to think of that many young children robbed of the innocence of youth is just appalling. If only there was something we could do about it. Well, perhaps there is. And it starts with exposure and awareness.

We saw a recent commercial from Scandinavia that dealt with child marriage. It was a powerful message. YouTube filmmaker Coby Persin was inspired by it to the extent that he felt compelled to do something about it. A social experiment where he would mock up a marriage. A young-looking twelve year-old would pose for wedding snaps in New York City alongside her ‘husband’, a significantly older man.

Reactions are strong and really drive home just how terrible it is to pluck a pre-pubescent girl from her childhood and force her into marrying an older man. It’s shocking to see it happen in the USA. But a child is a child, no matter what her nationality.

This is an important message. Please help spread the word.