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In response to your Warren Jeff comments, I present: Child wives in Yemen. (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by moscheles

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[–]mobiusstriptease 94 points95 points ago

I knew I'd seen this before. Article and more pictures.

[–]capntom13 14 points15 points ago

I also saw this picture published a few months ago in National Geographic

[–]ArchangelleXerxes 58 points59 points ago

The article in the magazine was actually so depressing.

...Newspapers were reporting that a bride from a village had been dropped off at a Sanaa hospital four days after her wedding. Sexual intercourse appeared to have ruptured the girl's internal organs, hospital officials said. She had bled to death. She was 13 years old.

[–]zeepremium 16 points17 points ago

That was one part that made me incredibly sad. These girls whose bodies aren't prepared for sex are completely left incapacitated or dead.

[–]Aviatrix89 23 points24 points ago

I don't like people. We suck.

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    [–]hoonaignachowaneha 8 points9 points ago

    Thanks for the link. There's also an NPR interview with Stephanie Sinclair (photographer), if anyone is interested.

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      [–]Wolfie- 666 points667 points ago

      What the fuck?!?!? Look how clear that picture is! That camera is amazing!

      [–]PaulNewhouse 286 points287 points ago

      National Geographic

      [–]themoderneinstein 110 points111 points ago

      This photo was originally released with dozens of other photos of children being forcibly married around the world in an exhibition as part of the 2012 Visa Pour l'Image (international festival of photojournalism), in Perpignan, France.

      [–]bearsa113609 23 points24 points ago

      Yeah but what kind of camera did they use? The photo is beautiful!

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        [–]MuseofRose 45 points46 points ago

        First thing I thought. Second thing was how nice their clothing was. My god that's beautiful.

        [–]420ish 7 points8 points ago

        Is that a sword or a paddle in the men's belt?

        [–]billHtaft 4 points5 points ago

        It's a janbiya. Mostly decorative dagger, used as a status symbol in Yemen.

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            [–]theobservantdude 119 points120 points ago

            I was going to say, the picture is actually really poignant and beautiful.

            [–]dannypants143 22 points23 points ago

            For me it's the dissonance between the beauty of the picture and the ickiness of what the picture is of. I think it's so effective because the brain can't reconcile those two things.

            [–]CheesyItalian 36 points37 points ago

            I was absolutely not going to say that... But here's my vote.

            [–]unhumorous_pun 17 points18 points ago

            I wasn't going to say anything at all but I just did.

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              [–]finds_art 25 points26 points ago

              Photographer is Stephanie Sinclair and this was a winner in the 2012 World Press Photo Contest

              [–]CrunchRage 23 points24 points ago

              The thing that surprised me the most, being an ignorant American, was the fact that Yemen isn't all flat and desert.

              [–]Serf99 27 points28 points ago

              Its likely shot with a Canon 5D Mark II.

              This picture is from Stephanie Sinclair's Child Marriage and Polygamist series for the National Geographic.

              Here is Stephanie talking about the project for Canon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aug8Ug13Qk

              [–]flashvilar 2 points3 points ago

              Why do you think the Mark II? Edit: nevermind didn't see the youtube vid... need to stop skimming comments.

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                [–]patio87 3 points4 points ago

                The camera had nothing to do with this. Steve Mccurry could blow you away with my canon s100 point and shoot. Saying "that camera is amazing" when looking at a stunning image is EXTREMELY insulting to photographers.

                [–]kayrahhh 2 points3 points ago

                Yep, like telling a chef that they must have a great oven cause the food tastes amazing.

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                  [–]Deucer22 48 points49 points ago

                  While we're posting terrible things: The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan

                  If you're in the mood to entirely lose your failth in humanity, watch the whole Frontline documentary: http://video.pbs.org/video/1474778660/

                  [–]demian_slc 74 points75 points ago

                  There's something fundamentally wrong, no pun intended, when the age disparity intrudes upon the maturation process. It may be legal in Yemen and other places, but it certainly isn't in the US. My favorite quote from Warren Jeffs is: "If the world knew what I was doing, they would hang me from the highest tree".

                  His marriages had nothing to do with religion. I can't speak to the other places where this practice is allowed.

                  [–]CriminalMajority 71 points72 points ago

                  The eyes on those Yemeni girls tell a lot. They may be young by our standards but they've lived more than most American women will by their mid-20's. I'd hate to grow up, or see my kids grow up, in a society like that but if they did, I'd not question their choices too much.

                  It's easy to see the world through the distortion of luxury but remember that most people on the planet still live a very brutal, very tenuous existence. Marriage can make the difference between life and death.

                  I'm condoning it, but pointing out that the problem isn't male attitudes, it's the poverty and lack of other choices.

                  [–]Netstorm19 66 points67 points ago

                  That's the thing, the choice isn't theirs, that is, the child brides.

                  [–]frotc914 76 points77 points ago

                  I'd not question their choices too much.

                  HAHA...choices. Good one.

                  [–]dorisfrench 13 points14 points ago

                  Wow what a great choice. Die or get pregnant before your body is fully mature and you might get a fistula or die anyway.

                  [–]LonesomeDuvv 10 points11 points ago

                  I was going to say the same thing. They have the 1000 mile stare of a hundred lifetimes. Haunting.

                  [–]AintNeverGonnaStop 15 points16 points ago

                  Maybe from being essentially sold into slavery to men much older than them?

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                    [–]nosoyunchico 3 points4 points ago

                    I honestly thought they were just small, grown women. The eyes have seen so much.

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                        [–]Squirrelnugs 92 points93 points ago

                        This may sound stupid..but why do you never see this reversed? A child husband?

                        [–]mobiusstriptease 152 points153 points ago

                        Keeping in mind that -most- of these marriages happen in third world, patriarchal cultures, and that they are arranged by poor parents:

                        1) young boys are productive workers, but a girl's dowry is usually more attractive than the cost of supporting her, 2) many of the men marrying these young girls are marrying for the second or third time, in order to have children (many women die in childbirth), 3) weird patriarchal cultures prevent the girls from having a say. (A young boy would plan on becoming the head of the household, and so should be able to turn down an unattractive proposal. And he wouldn't want an older woman because she would have less potential in terms of being a baby factory).

                        Edit: And a whole lot of other things depending on where exactly we're talking about.

                        [–]herticalt 35 points36 points ago

                        Also having a unwed daughter in a tribal society sucks. Rape is very common and if she's raped it means you have to get vengeance for her or risk your status in the community and further injustice. Much of the time parents justify it with the idea that an older husband will be more secure for their daughters. The younger they marry them off the more secure they will be.

                        [–]Mahoohoo 27 points28 points ago

                        Soooo... the options are: 1. Sell daughter off to be raped (it still is rape, I can't imagine a young girl wanting to have sex with these much older men) 2. Have daughter raped and seek vengeance and lose out on money to have daughter raped legally. Wow.

                        [–]TorsadesDePointe 13 points14 points ago

                        And in some cases: daughter raped and having to kill her because she has been dishonored and has caused dishonor to the whole family and no man would ever want her.

                        It happens in some cultures, let's not pretend it doesn't.

                        [–]PeaceCorpsAnon 9 points10 points ago

                        For #1, you're imagining what happens when a young American girl marries an old man. Yes, rape. But that's not what's happening here. What's happening here is a young Yemeni girl who was raised in that culture and has seen nothing else is marrying an old man.

                        If they're anything like the Muslims in the country I live in, they have no reservations about it--in fact, they quite look forward to starting a family, since raising kids is about all that matters in their life.

                        Before you flip your shit and call me names, keep in mind I'm just an American living overseas and I don't have a child bride. But having seen countless young girls married off with happy smiles on their faces, I feel like I have a different experience than you all who only see pictures + your American ideals.

                        Hell, there was one 11-year-old girl who insisted that she only marry an old man, since "they're richer and my kids won't be hungry like with a young man."

                        [–]AliceSin 7 points8 points ago

                        tl;dr shit sucks so bad in patriarchal third world countries that 11-year-old girls are happy to marry (read: fuck) old rich dick so thay don't have to starve.

                        (The girls in the picture look soooo happy!)

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                              [–]PapauNewGuinea 32 points33 points ago

                              Okay. Put yourself in the shoes of this patriarchal society.

                              You have boys and you have girls.

                              The boys are strong and capable of doing work. They can generate income, and when you are too old to support yourself, they have the ability to support you. This means you want to keep your child boys close to you so you can reap the benefits you've sown.

                              Girls are worthless to you. They don't make any money for you when they're children, and they don't stay with you when they're adults. Every year they live with you they are leeching off of you. It's best to get rid of them young so that they won't be constantly draining your income. If you're lucky, you won't have to pay much for the wedding. Hopefully your pubescent (or pre-pubescent) girl will be happy with her marriage to a middle aged man (who is willing to take care of her financial burden), but she probably won't be. Not that that matters, because she will move with his house and be faithful to him instead of you.

                              So now that you've got those pesky girls out of the way, you've still got this 10 year old boy by your side who is also sucking a way at your metaphorical teat. Some nice 30 year old, financially well-off lady asks to take him away to be her husband, hell she even offers you a fiver. Are you going to let that happen? Not only will he stop taking your money, but you can make a couple bucks too. HELL NO are you going to let that happen. As soon as that she-wolf of a predator marries your child, she'll take him away from you and you won't see him or, more importantly, the pennies he makes. You've got to keep that boy to yourself if you want any money when you are old and decrepit. So you keep your boy with you, and once he comes to the age where he ought to marry, you will arrange a marriage with another family, and he will marry their nice, useless girl. Of course, the girl's parents are going to pay you a nice little dowry to get her out of their hands and into your son's.

                              So now you've got a beautiful man married to a rotten twelve year old. That's okay though, because he makes enough for himself, his wife, and more importantly you, now that you are a dependent senior. If you're lucky, you can manage to get a few boys and really get a support system going for you without spending too much cash on girls. So your manly son will now have babies with his adolescent wife, and the process will repeat itself.

                              Do keep in mind these suppositions aren't all that accurate, don't take this as the gospel. I just thought this might explain why there aren't a bunch of 'child husband's' roaming around. It's all because of the boy's parents, as well as societal norms which, of course, also take root from the thoughts of parents.

                              [–]TorsadesDePointe 3 points4 points ago

                              While it may logically seem that a young girl would not be happy getting married so early, you have to consider that some are definitely in favor of being married off to -anyone-. For one, you don't really know how their culture has molded them; they might see it as honorable to become a wife and they might be raised to look forward to looking after a man and having him take care of her, even if he has multiple wives. Also, they may come from really shitty households, by that I mean abusive dads (whether emotionally or physically). And getting married and leaving that environment to some is a blessing even if they will be living with a much older man, after all, he might not be that terrible of a person despite what it may seem like.

                              Aside from all that, I agree with the rest of what you mentioned above.

                              [–]thisisadumbthrowaway 3 points4 points ago

                              Your cost/benefit analysis is based in some truth, and is probably the reason that some patriarchal societies (including both Islamic and many rural Chinese) have a bride price instead. Theoretically, bride prices reverse the liability of having a daughter. In reality, being an asset isn't much better than being a liability if the goal is to be treated like a human--whether you're adding or subtracting from someone's bottom line is tangential to whether you're an object.

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                                [–]rubiksfit 45 points46 points ago

                                Because historically these cultures have been male dominated (patriarchal). A woman who wanted to marry a considerably younger man would probably be stoned to death.

                                [–]LoveCirculation 6 points7 points ago

                                Actually it have happened. Although the male would be some sort of noble man or royalty. Maybe a 12 years old emperor "marrying" as many as 25 women per years to fill up his 3000 women quota during his reign.

                                [–]quite_white 10 points11 points ago

                                Saying someone will be stoned to death for something like that makes you sound extremely ignorant. You know Muhammad married a much older woman. Khadija bint Khuwaylid to be exact; however, you're correct that older women can't marry men that aren't of age. There have been some efforts to raise the marriageable age to 16-18 in Yemen.

                                [–]voice_of_unreason 9 points10 points ago

                                This is not the only reason, there is a functional/pragmatic reason for polygamy rather than polyandry. First, polygyny serves to track the transfer of genetic material, in a polyandrous set up it is not immediately clear who a child belongs to. Second, polygyny serves as a means of promoting economic stability and structure given the onerous conditions of pre-modern life. Women who might otherwise be unable to find a partner or meet the demands of the environment alone can join on to an existing family (such is often the case with widows, for better or worse)

                                [–]msanthropologist 3 points4 points ago

                                You should replace the term polygamy above with the word polygyny. It's more accurate for your argument.

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                                      [–]commentsdownvoted 22 points23 points ago

                                      I am your father groom, you are my child bride. I'll give you everything, you just can't leave your room.

                                      [–][deleted] ago

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                                      [–]ellecon 170 points171 points ago

                                      Basically, a girl is still growing and too small/underdeveloped physically to carry a child until her late teens.

                                      From http://www.livescience.com/19584-10-year-birth.html

                                      "The greatest danger, however, is to the pelvic floor. Girls may start ovulating and menstruating as early as age 9, though the average is around 12 to 13. (Some studies suggest that the average age of first menstruation is dropping, but the data is not conclusive.) Just because a girl can get pregnant, though, doesn't mean she can safely deliver a baby. The pelvis does not fully widen until the late teens, meaning that young girls may not be able to push the baby through the birth canal.

                                      The results are horrific, said Wall and Thomas, who have both worked in Africa treating women in the aftermath of such labors. Girls may labor for days; many die. Their babies often don't survive labor either.

                                      The women and girls who do survive often develop fistulas, which are holes between the vaginal wall and the rectum or bladder. When the baby's head pushes down and gets stuck, it can cut portions of the mother's soft tissue between its skull and her pelvic bones. As a result, the tissue dies, and a hole forms. Feces and urine then leak through the hole and out of the vagina. Women with fistulas are often divorced and shunned. And young girls are at higher risk.

                                      'The younger you are, the more trauma will occur, because the pelvic floor isn't developed enough,' Thomas said."

                                      • edited to add that girls have babies much earlier in primitive societies, including our own societies in their earlier stages of development. However, the mortality rates were much higher and life was generally lived in grim ignorance. It's called social evolution. If you have sex with children as a part of your culture, your culture is backwards and stupid.

                                      [–]dhjana 25 points26 points ago

                                      Also wiki says that: "about 80% of the cycles were anovulatory[no egg released] in the first year after menarche, 50% in the third and 10% in the sixth year"

                                      [–]slightlystartled 18 points19 points ago

                                      Thank you for being the only person to actually answer OP's question. I just wish your comment was higher up the chain.

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                                        [–]wandering_wizard 238 points239 points ago

                                        Actually its a common misconception that once a girl starts her monthy, that is the ideal time to breed, and what was historically done. First off, its is accepted knowledge that females are menstruating at younger and younger ages than their foremothers. This is a more recent development, within the last 100 years or so.

                                        Second, it was common for the marrying age to be late teens, early twenties for girls for most classes in most of the west. Stories like what Jane Austin writes, where the girls are lamenting about being 25 and an old shrew are poking fun at contemporary young girls' overreactions.

                                        Lastly, 11-12 year olds aren't usually fully developed down there - it increases risk of complications. Sure, young is better than way old, but there is a limit to how young. Not to mention emotional abuse.

                                        Tl;dr Don't have sex with kids

                                        [–]AfterTowns 26 points27 points ago

                                        Thanks for posting this! Many people assume that people married young "back in the day," because you read about royals marrying early, but they are actually the exception rather than the rule. Most royalty married for political alliances, so it didn't really matter how old the bride and groom were.

                                        However, most peasants in Europe (who most immigrants to America descend from) married for love, because they didn't have shit to their name, so they were free to choose. Just like today, teenagers would have worked, played and flirted with each other before settling down when they got a little older (late teens to early 20's). Women would marry a bit earlier, closer to late teens, but usually the age difference between partners was not ridiculous. People did know back then that an eleven - thirteen year old was still a child and more likely to die in childbirth. Even if their monthly had started, they would wait until their bodies had grown up a bit more.

                                        [–]pagan_idol 11 points12 points ago

                                        Exactly! Yes nobility married early but it was because of politics and nothing else. Everyone else married much later, especially if we consider the UK in the Middle Ages.

                                        'The Invention of Childhood.' is an excellent read on the subject, I encourage anyone with these misconceptions to read it.

                                        [–]Cartoonzinho 19 points20 points ago

                                        Also just because they are physically able to have children doesn't mean they are mentally developed enough to properly care for a child. So "nature" would select against immature women having children if they were unlikely to raise the child to child-bearing age them self. Especially considering how until only recently and in the developed world women had a good chance of dying during childbirth.

                                        [–]Oneofmanymasks 63 points64 points ago

                                        Best TL;DR ever

                                        [–]pidgezero_one 5 points6 points ago

                                        I bet "don't have sex with kids" is where the 31 downvotes came from.

                                        [–]Subtle_AD_Reference 7 points8 points ago

                                        First off, its is accepted knowledge that females are menstruating at younger and younger ages than their foremothers.

                                        What caused this, better nutrition?

                                        [–]fubarchaeo 17 points18 points ago

                                        Also modern chemical pollutants that mimic hormones, thereby causing puberty at younger ages. BPAs mimicking estrogen, for example.

                                        [–]catx6 9 points10 points ago

                                        Hormones and chemicals fed to the animals we eat and drink milk from as well as in the processed foods we eat.

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                                            [–]Necrowalrus 165 points166 points ago

                                            It's highly dangerous for a girl that young to carry a pregnancy to fruition. So no.

                                            [–]kindabiglie 37 points38 points ago

                                            Yeah, it can even end in arrest.

                                            [–]Necrowalrus 12 points13 points ago

                                            Age is just a number...and prison is just a building.

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                                                [–]uberguby 677 points678 points ago

                                                I like to think of it like bread, ya know? Like, puberty isn't a switch, it's a process. Well so is bread baking. There's a lot of steps between dough and bread. You wouldn't eat bread before it's done baking just because it's already started baking?

                                                TL;DR 11 year old girls are not bread yet.

                                                [–]gazow 651 points652 points ago

                                                well then maybe they just need to get buttered

                                                [–]MaynardJayTwa 278 points279 points ago

                                                ಠ_ಠ

                                                [–]ratajewie 152 points153 points ago

                                                ಠ◡ಠ

                                                [–]lurker_becomes_lurkd 46 points47 points ago

                                                ( ° ͜ʖ°)

                                                [–]SnarkyCommentator 28 points29 points ago

                                                ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ

                                                [–]automatedresponse 8 points9 points ago

                                                (ಠ益ಠ)

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                                                    [–]mainsworth 66 points67 points ago

                                                    /r/srs is going to be busy today.

                                                    [–]nasher168 25 points26 points ago

                                                    The Sexual realignment surgery subreddit?

                                                    [–]sinterfield24 1 point2 points ago

                                                    This actually would make more sense.

                                                    [–]wolfenkraft 103 points104 points ago

                                                    Hahaha fuck them.

                                                    [–]spankymuffin 56 points57 points ago

                                                    You mean /r/shitredditsays. But yeah, that place is busy 24/7.

                                                    If only they put all their time and effort into cooking and cleaning...

                                                    (frontpage, here I come!)

                                                    [–]Rikplaysbass 18 points19 points ago

                                                    The thing that blows my mind with that subreddit is: WHY THE FUCK DON'T THEY JUST GET OFF OF REDDIT?!

                                                    [–]xthecharacter 2 points3 points ago

                                                    Because they love hate.

                                                    [–]DerpaNerb 4 points5 points ago

                                                    Because their only real goal is to just further their victimhood/marginalized status (It's why they invent so many titles for themselves... to see who can be more of a minority). Leaving reddit would give them nothing to play victim to, which is why they don't.

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                                                          [–]agentphunk 28 points29 points ago

                                                          You just kneaded to get a rise out of us, didn't you?

                                                          [–]getstonedplaygames 7 points8 points ago

                                                          Oh snap! Now do one about yeast infections!

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                                                            [–]Kuonji 5 points6 points ago

                                                            Doh!

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                                                              [–]DownvoterAccount 104 points105 points ago

                                                              You wouldn't eat bread before it's done baking just because it's already started baking

                                                              Some people out there like to eat raw cookie dough, though.

                                                              Just saying.

                                                              [–]iralisegendary 65 points66 points ago

                                                              The next time I eat raw cookie dough it will feel so tainted D:

                                                              [–]DownvoterAccount 35 points36 points ago

                                                              tainted

                                                              Heh.

                                                              [–]DerpaNerb 3 points4 points ago

                                                              DM;HCD

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                                                                [–]free_dead_puppy 34 points35 points ago

                                                                Haha you just did an ELI5 for pedophilia.

                                                                [–]Chaucer2066 32 points33 points ago

                                                                I think Germany learned best that you can't get bread by putting little girls in ovens.

                                                                [–]Funlovn007 26 points27 points ago

                                                                Wow pedo and Nazi all in one line!

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                                                                  [–]deadanimal 18 points19 points ago

                                                                  Also, to answer Yeti's question, I'm pretty sure humans for most of history and prehistory hit puberty much later because of vastly different diets. So, I doubt girls popping out babies at 11 was the norm. I read somewhere that puberty typically hit as late as 19 (again, depends a lot on nutrition.)

                                                                  [–]Just_Call_Me_Kitty 24 points25 points ago

                                                                  Yeah this is totally true. I read it in the book How Sex Works by Sharon Moalem. Women start puberty when they have a certain amount of fat on their breasts/ thighs. So children are becoming fatter so they hit puberty sooner. So in earlier times women would start to menstruate around the age of 17. It is also hypothesized that modern stress has influenced this as well.

                                                                  Side note: I remember the fatter girls in elementary school all hit puberty before the other girls.

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                                                                      [–]PPvsFC 53 points54 points ago

                                                                      Just a note, in cultures where and during times when young women do intensive physical labor, the onset of fertility is delayed.

                                                                      Source: I'm an archaeologist

                                                                      [–]getstonedplaygames 30 points31 points ago

                                                                      DIGGIN' UP DEM FACTS!

                                                                      [–]orthag 13 points14 points ago

                                                                      To those confused as to why an archaeologist can weigh in on this, an archaeologist is just an anthropologist with a shovel.

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                                                                        [–]Citizen_Sn1ps 20 points21 points ago

                                                                        The way the human diet has changed, puberty hits much earlier than it has in even the past 200 years. American's are well into puberty before they are even teenagers now.

                                                                        [–]pantsfactory 2 points3 points ago

                                                                        in the 1700s-1800s even the well fed kids didn't hit puberty until up to age 18. I don't think extramarital pregnancies were even a possibility, since you got married before that time.

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                                                                          [–]DaphneDK 11 points12 points ago

                                                                          No. These countries (Afghanistan too) have some of the world's highest maternity deaths, due to the young children not being physical developed to bear and give birth to a child without risk of severe damage. They need to have gone through puberty, widening pelvis, hips, etc. before bearing children.

                                                                          [–]lacewingfly 33 points34 points ago

                                                                          I didn't start my period until I was 15, my mother was 16 and so was her mother. So even though I had started puberty, I was largely infertile up until that age.

                                                                          Irrelevant to the fact that these are forced marriages that do not allow these young women to grow up with any sense of independence - which is the idea.

                                                                          [–]10weight 5 points6 points ago

                                                                          I think fertility, whilst relevant, is not the issue. We're looking at medieval culture that treats women as possessions.

                                                                          While it's not the sole domain of Islamic culture, Islam is a prime culprit. Also don't think that this is a 'funny problem that happens on different continents'. I went to primary school (UK 5-10 years old) where 6-7 year old girls 'disappeared', to be married in Pakistan.

                                                                          Islam is at odds with the modern world. There are Muslims who are trying to reform it but they are in the minority. I think our number one priority should not be 'energy security' but raising the bar and inclusivity of education in Islamic countries.

                                                                          Without women taking a leading role, they are quite literally firing on half of the available cylinders.

                                                                          Free women up in Arab states for the sake of everyone on Earth.

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                                                                            [–]monokel 57 points58 points ago

                                                                            determining when girls are fertile is irrelevant. these are forced marriages. on a side note, even though I personally think that 'nature's intention' is not the issue, the age of puberty may vary due to various factors, and has changed over history. so we might say that 'nature changes its intention' or we might view it as an evolutionary effect. in the end it is still about consent. it is not necessarily a question of morals (though even morals may make sense in terms of supporting the human community to function). premature conception is likely to cause significant health risks for girls. that is pretty commonsensical.

                                                                            [–]Credulous7 34 points35 points ago

                                                                            I think that's the question, when does a woman become mature enough to get pregnant without the complications involved in premature conception?

                                                                            [–]monokel 17 points18 points ago

                                                                            I don't think there is a general answer to this question. You certainly find statistics on that issue, but these say nothing about the individual girl. Not all men start growing a beard at the same time. And for some women pregnancies remain risky even when they are grown ups, e.g. narrow pelvis

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                                                                                [–]EmptyAndFrantic 27 points28 points ago

                                                                                13? I started puberty at 9. I was under the impression that was common?

                                                                                [–]3eggs 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                I started puberty around 12-13, got my period around 16 and haven't grown much since I was around 18-19. Felt normal enough.

                                                                                [–]Afirejar 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                On average, girls begin puberty at ages 10-11; boys at ages 11-12.[1][2][3] Girls usually complete puberty by ages 15–17,[3][4][5] while boys usually complete puberty by ages 16–17.[3][4][6]

                                                                                Wikipedia

                                                                                [–]3eggs 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                So they keep saying. Still felt normal and I never felt like a late bloomer compared to my classmates. Just saying that hitting puberty at 9 isn't necessarily true for everyone.

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                                                                                  [–][deleted] 17 points18 points ago

                                                                                  His ages are skewed, or genders. Around 13 for boys, around 11 for girls.

                                                                                  [–]CraftyWilby 15 points16 points ago

                                                                                  Girls are beginning to get their period at a younger age. Here's a spot from Psychology Today about it http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-stone-age-mind/201202/why-are-girls-getting-their-periods-so-young

                                                                                  [–]Rjschmitt0 21 points22 points ago

                                                                                  Here's a spot

                                                                                  Was that intentional?

                                                                                  [–]coocoocachoooo 16 points17 points ago

                                                                                  I would say 13 years is closer to the end of puberty for many girls, but everyone's different. I hit puberty at 8/9 but by 14 I was fully mature and haven't grown much since really.

                                                                                  [–]Drawtaru 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                  I stopped growing at age 12. =\ I was wearing jeans I bought in middle school when I was fresh out of high school.

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                                                                                    [–]phantomganonftw 4 points5 points ago

                                                                                    It's not uncommon now for girls to start around 8-9 (a lot of researchers attribute this to the presence of extreme quantities of hormones in the food we eat), the average for girls is to start around 10-12 and finish around 15-ish.

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                                                                                      [–]endrews 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                      source?

                                                                                      [–]garypooper 70 points71 points ago

                                                                                      70 lb girls with 20 inch hips carrying a baby is not a good thing.

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                                                                                          [–]trampus1 18 points19 points ago

                                                                                          Back when America was first starting out, it was common for girls as young as 12 to get married.

                                                                                          [–]sandwiches_are_real 20 points21 points ago

                                                                                          That's actually a common public myth, but the only grain of truth to it is among the upper classes (where marriage was a matter of securing political alliances first and foremost and as soon as possible, and everything else came second to that). Girls of the lower and emerging middle classes married later.

                                                                                          [–]samepersona 23 points24 points ago

                                                                                          And dying a lot younger.

                                                                                          [–]getstonedplaygames 27 points28 points ago

                                                                                          I learned it was mostly from dysentery, or trying to float the wagon across the river. ><

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                                                                                            [–]Dr_Herp_Derp 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                            Yes, but to men age 45?

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                                                                                              [–]The_Gray_Marquis 0 points1 point ago

                                                                                              What are the ideal child bearing ages for women (combination of fertility and egg health - not sure if 'health' is right word)? When are men most fertile?

                                                                                              [–]btfs 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                              From what I learned, the best ages for women to have children is between 19-29. Not saying that someone couldn't deliver a healthy child before or after, it' just those are the ages where there are the least amount of complications for the mother and baby.

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                                                                                                  [–]AccusationsGW 19 points20 points ago

                                                                                                  Can we talk about those knives for a second? Wtf is going on there?

                                                                                                  [–]whiskeydeltatango 15 points16 points ago

                                                                                                  That, my friend, is the Janbiya. It's a big deal in Yemen.

                                                                                                  [–]Fallingdamage 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                                  Based on the curve I would say its very difficult to remove from the scabbard.

                                                                                                  [–]trillstuff 15 points16 points ago

                                                                                                  The girl in the green has the hands of an oil rigger

                                                                                                  [–]breezybug 89 points90 points ago

                                                                                                  I wish people would realize shit like this is a lot more common than they think. Especially in third world countries. Its not always about religion; but many guys marry little girls just cause they can. Fucking bastards.

                                                                                                  [–]SiempreListo 87 points88 points ago

                                                                                                  And not just there. On my big world trip I've seen many american, european, asian and israeli tourists do despicable things.

                                                                                                  The thing is that those don't marry the little girls, they just pay to have sex with them, then they go home to pretend being "loving fathers" and "great sons", seriously.

                                                                                                  [–]Black_Astra 7 points8 points ago

                                                                                                  Especially in third world countries.

                                                                                                  guys marry little girls just cause they can.

                                                                                                  Fucking bastards.

                                                                                                  And what makes them bastards? Because its culturally accepted to make this decision in their context? So tribes and bands in rural locations who have people marry young makes them bastards? Religion doesn't even play close to a huge factor in who gets to marry who and when. Its clearly a structure-functionalist behavior.

                                                                                                  [–]chapstickies 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                  it seems that whenever morality is discussed on reddit, people always defend the position that it is relative, until they see shit like this. Thanks for being consistent!

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                                                                                                      [–]I_Post_Drunk 183 points184 points ago

                                                                                                      These comments suck.

                                                                                                      [–]iLoveSethMacfarlane 22 points23 points ago

                                                                                                      why? seems like typical reddit to me

                                                                                                      [–]thedarklordkyp 25 points26 points ago

                                                                                                      Exactly.

                                                                                                      [–]logarythm 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                                      And typical reddit sucks.

                                                                                                      [–]xthecharacter 13 points14 points ago

                                                                                                      Then leave.

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                                                                                                            [–]CollinsFreedom 39 points40 points ago

                                                                                                            The one in front looks... Familiar.

                                                                                                            [–]My_fifth_account 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                                            That's pretty good work. Well, other than the hands not matching.

                                                                                                            [–]CollinsFreedom 26 points27 points ago

                                                                                                            Hmm good point. Hmmm ah, yes! There we are!

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                                                                                                              [–]Madsingh 141 points142 points ago

                                                                                                              Nothing wrong here. Seems legit. Muhammad's favorite wife was 6 years old (he was over 40) when he married her, and was 9 when he consummated the marriage with her.

                                                                                                              Relevant : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha

                                                                                                              [–]sternje 154 points155 points ago

                                                                                                              I'll just leave this here.

                                                                                                              [–]swandi 59 points60 points ago

                                                                                                              I still can't tell if this is supposed to be good or bad.

                                                                                                              [–]CalCapone 101 points102 points ago

                                                                                                              Thatsthejoke.jpg

                                                                                                              [–]bonecrusher2102 22 points23 points ago

                                                                                                              You suck McBain!

                                                                                                              [–]BreSput 7 points8 points ago

                                                                                                              This is the first time I've seen this reply to that comment. Surprised it didn't get upvoted. I even read your comment in that random simpson's character's voice.

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                                                                                                                [–]rumathlete 24 points25 points ago

                                                                                                                http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/196/255/chris-hansen-200x300.jpg

                                                                                                                [–]debaser11 7 points8 points ago

                                                                                                                GG Muhammad.

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                                                                                                                  [–]inarticulat 40 points41 points ago

                                                                                                                  Upvote for information. But seriously, wtf?

                                                                                                                  [–]Madsingh 86 points87 points ago

                                                                                                                  Things people don't like to discuss about the prophet. Also, did you know he made the rule for 4 wives, but got a vision the same night he decided to marry his adopted sons wife? In the vision, he was informed by god that only he be allowed more than 4 wives. Double standards.

                                                                                                                  Relevant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaynab_bint_Jahsh

                                                                                                                  [–]DoWhile 171 points172 points ago

                                                                                                                  1. Make up rule about 4 wives

                                                                                                                  2. Give yourself exception

                                                                                                                  3. ???

                                                                                                                  4. Prophet!

                                                                                                                  [–]Sneeoosh 15 points16 points ago

                                                                                                                  These things never amuse me typically. Thank you for being the exception.

                                                                                                                  [–]GlompPanda 13 points14 points ago

                                                                                                                  You... that was clever...

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                                                                                                                    [–]TheSkiFreeYeti 42 points43 points ago

                                                                                                                    Also, he was a big fan of being drawn.

                                                                                                                    [–]kratistos 9 points10 points ago

                                                                                                                    Things people don't like to discuss about the prophet.

                                                                                                                    It is always brought up when someone mentions the dude here.

                                                                                                                    [–]2yrnx1lc2zkp77kp 20 points21 points ago

                                                                                                                    reminds me of Joseph* Smith of Mormonism. "The angel just told me I get to take on more wives, wife. Also he said if you don't consent to the new wife you are to be banished. Sorry".

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                                                                                                                      [–]SillyBanjo 42 points43 points ago

                                                                                                                      You've not actually come across this inane topic on Reddit before?

                                                                                                                      A couple of facts before you start Muslim bashing…

                                                                                                                      1. This is in no way unique to Muslims, back then or now. It's fairly common amongst this thing called the human race, maybe not your (or my) society but we aren't alone.
                                                                                                                      2. The purpose and idea of marriage is not the same the world over. Back in Muhammad's time it was very common for women without male relatives to marry for protection… I believe this was the case with Aisha but it's probably more complex.
                                                                                                                      3. We're talking 1300 fucking years ago, there were far worse things going on as common practice back then by far more important people.

                                                                                                                      [–][deleted] 35 points36 points ago

                                                                                                                      What's your point? Muhammad was a product of his time, agreed. But the problem is that Muslims claim that Muhammad was the messenger of objective truth and is STILL an example of a close-to perfect man to emulate today.

                                                                                                                      [–]horrorfetish 19 points20 points ago

                                                                                                                      Basically this. Is it shitty? Yes. But so is the fact that in the Christian bible marriage is a form of ownership and stoning your wife or child to death for disobeying you is A OK. Same with slavery.

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                                                                                                                          [–]Make_it_Snow 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                                                          Holy shit I had no idea Muhammad was a pedo. Creeeepy. No wonder they freak when someone draws him.

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                                                                                                                            [–]pbrooks19 29 points30 points ago

                                                                                                                            My heart breaks for these girls (Yemeni or American). They have absolutely no choice, and no chance.

                                                                                                                            [–]Feisty916 3 points4 points ago

                                                                                                                            Regardless of when puberty started, those are grown men. I think if the guy was pretty young (16-17) it maybe wouldn't be so disturbing. I can't imagine being 12-13 and a 30 year old man is all over me.

                                                                                                                            [–]tommorrow 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                                                            In these guys defense they don't look nearly as happy about it as Warren Jeff did.

                                                                                                                            [–][deleted] 10 points11 points ago

                                                                                                                            The men look almost as unhappy as the girls. Their clothes are really neat. And those daggers look beastly.

                                                                                                                            [–]Pechi_305 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                                                            This was in an article in Time magazine. Very sad.

                                                                                                                            [–]vilidan 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                            Has anyone else noticed how big those girls hands are?

                                                                                                                            [–]joe9439 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                            An all new reality series coming soon to the Discovery channel.

                                                                                                                            [–]dhf510 1 point2 points ago

                                                                                                                            This is worse than the Salmon Fishing over there

                                                                                                                            [–]wilsonchico85 26 points27 points ago

                                                                                                                            Fuck these guys and everyone like them.

                                                                                                                            [–]Ringwaul 9 points10 points ago

                                                                                                                            This picture makes me really angry and sad at the same time.

                                                                                                                            [–]AdrianoA 48 points49 points ago

                                                                                                                            Those little girls probably will

                                                                                                                            [–]foltan 12 points13 points ago

                                                                                                                            hehehe

                                                                                                                            ಠ_ಠ

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                                                                                                                              [–]tuer_saw 25 points26 points ago

                                                                                                                              If the Yemeni Reddit had a picture of a two men "marriage" from Maine. It would be the same reactions as you have here...

                                                                                                                              [–]Tincture_of_Man 10 points11 points ago

                                                                                                                              Perhaps, but those men from Maine are not forced into marriage, they are consenting adults. Some of these children have yet to even reach sexual maturity yet alone have the maturity to understand the lifetime of consequences from marriage. I don't know if it was your intent, but you sound like a pedophile apologist.

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                                                                                                                                [–]khays 9 points10 points ago

                                                                                                                                Poor girls :/.

                                                                                                                                [–]unarmedcivilian 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                                Why do people always end up defending islam, but if it's Christianity froth at the mouth? Reddit double standard? Fuck all the make believe men in the sky, they're all barbaric.

                                                                                                                                [–]triggersman 31 points32 points ago

                                                                                                                                Not justifying them by any means, but daughters are just extra mouth to feed where they live. Can't pull a muscle's worth, then you gotta go.

                                                                                                                                Not to mention because of child marriage, most women old enough has already been wed. AND mortality rate plus the median lifespan.

                                                                                                                                These men look like they're already well into their late 20's and early 30's. Their days are numbered and getting desperate. They need sons to farm the shit out of whatever the land they have just to feed their goddamn mouths.

                                                                                                                                It's not like they enjoy tight vaginas and little to no breast fat. It's easy to judge when you're eating from supermarkets and university grad doctors patching your ass up whenever you fall spewing blood from every hole, but it has to be said, they're desperate because of the socio-economic situations they're faced with.

                                                                                                                                Ergo, their culture permits it because that's the only way they can sustain. I'm pretty sure few decades of sirloin steaks will change their moral outlook.

                                                                                                                                [–]Lmpwao16 66 points67 points ago

                                                                                                                                Yes and no. They also do it because it's the cultural norm that young girls are attractive. Went over there and worked in a hospital tent where we tended to the population. I'll never forget being in a room with a couple as the doctor was telling the older husband that there was nothing wrong with his wife that she couldn't get pregnant, it was his fault because he would only have anal sex with her. The doctor told him that anal sex won't get a female pregnant and that he would have to use the other hole.....the man flipped shit because the vagina bleeds and he thought it was gross to put his thing in a hole that bleeds

                                                                                                                                [–]RocksteadyNBeebop 15 points16 points ago

                                                                                                                                So let me get this straight... he won't have vaginal intercourse because the vagina bleeds, yet he will stick his dick in her asshole? Hmmm an orifice that bleeds 5 days a month or one that shits about once a day in a place where toilet paper is likely a luxury? Better stick it in the second one.

                                                                                                                                [–]velocide 3 points4 points ago

                                                                                                                                . . . where they also have no clean water supply, so like, constant dysentery. . .

                                                                                                                                [–]triggersman 41 points42 points ago

                                                                                                                                the man flipped shit because the vagina bleeds and he thought it was gross to put his thing in a hole that bleeds

                                                                                                                                That's exactly the education level we're dealing with here. Their social norm has been fucked up over a long period of underdevelopment and suffering. You want to change that shit overnight? Got billions to spend?

                                                                                                                                These problems will have to be solved over a very long period of time, through education, improvements to infrastructure, and political stability. As much as your sensibilities tell you such marriage is horrible and wrong, it provides them the only way to sustain themselves they can achieve for now.

                                                                                                                                Sitting here and judging them as if they're equivillant to those Utah perverts is ignorant and lacks proper understanding of political situation people are faced around the world.

                                                                                                                                [–]velocide 6 points7 points ago

                                                                                                                                billions to spend on what?

                                                                                                                                Build a school? They bomb it. Bomb them? They bomb us back.

                                                                                                                                The Soviets tried for 2 decades "through education, improvements to infrastructure and political stability" - (of course, we sabotaged that, but I digress), and then after another decade of costly military occupation, they said "fuck this shit" and left. Now we're trying to pick up the pieces and we're learning the same fucking thing:

                                                                                                                                You can't FORCE civilization and enlightenment onto people at gunpoint. (especially when it's just thinly-disguised debt-slavery and oligarchy; which even the Soviets did).

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                                                                                                                                  [–]whiskeydeltatango 7 points8 points ago

                                                                                                                                  the man flipped shit because the vagina bleeds and he thought it was gross to put his thing in a hole that bleeds

                                                                                                                                  But the poo hole, hey, that's fair game ... Wut?

                                                                                                                                  [–]dougielou 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                                  That's only one example, and IDK if you've ever dated guys but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there was a guy in 1st world country that felt the same way.

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                                                                                                                                    [–]SiempreListo 10 points11 points ago

                                                                                                                                    Oh, so that's why you are forcing sex on kids? I've seen very very poor places with my own eyes, but I can't fathom how any father of a daughter can seriously stand behind this shit.

                                                                                                                                    [–]Slew42 5 points6 points ago

                                                                                                                                    I don't know, maybe because their culture is completely different? They grow up thinking it's normal and there's nothing wrong with it. You're disgusted by this in the same way they're disgusted by some of the things we do everyday.

                                                                                                                                    Also, it's important to remember this culture developed in a time where it was normal for people to die in their 30s and 40s. There was no time to wait for a girl to fully mature. In fact, the life expectancy in these countries is barely better today.

                                                                                                                                    [–]Gaslov 8 points9 points ago

                                                                                                                                    That should give you insight into the situation. Why would so many fathers stand behind this?

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                                                                                                                                      [–]dickcheney777 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                      We are fixing this one 500 pounder at a time.

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                                                                                                                                        [–]wickidclown17 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tVcfZEE7U2s#t=20s

                                                                                                                                        [–]dbills450 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                        Culture. It's a real bitch ehh?

                                                                                                                                        [–]State_of_Iowa 0 points1 point ago

                                                                                                                                        In their defense, it doesn't look like the men are happy with the marriage either. In backward-ass rural Yemen, there don't appear to be many people/choices around. I'm not condoning this, but it does reflect the conditions.

                                                                                                                                        [–]HoltBoulevard 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                        A joke that includes some sort of reference or link to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

                                                                                                                                        [–]annieloux 0 points1 point ago

                                                                                                                                        Sassy child wives!

                                                                                                                                        I smell a reality television series.

                                                                                                                                        [–]dickcheney777 0 points1 point ago

                                                                                                                                        So will you faggots stop bitching when we kill a few Yemenis here and there now?

                                                                                                                                        [–]TimmyTesticles 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                        "cheese" in Yemen must sound completely different than it does in English

                                                                                                                                        [–]DeltaUpsilonFez 1 point2 points ago

                                                                                                                                        Lmao. I found this picture pretty funny and dumb. I am a native of Yemen and a Muslim and can easily break this down for you guys. 1. This has been happening for YEARS, and not just the Middle East. All over the world. 2. Those girls had a choice to get married and in those areas it's hard for the family to care for a growing lady. And if there's a guy who is willing to spend the rest of his life with her and provide for her, then it's really for the best. Unlike many westernized countries where girls are losing their virginity before the legal age, for example in New York where I live as a United State citizen. 3. I rather see a lady get married by choice at a young age as opposed to getting pregnant and the father running away and ruining her life because of poor desicions based on her part and belief of indepentism. 4. Muslims value their women. It might seem that they are repressed or not allowed to act as men but wearing the appropriate uniform is COMPLETELY THEIR descision. They do it out of love for their religion. I have 5 sisters and they could have walked out any time they wanted but didn't. 5. You don't need to do hours of research to figure out that this world is going to hell. There are long enduring wars, corrupted churches/mosques, greed, corrupt governments, and the list goes on. And if you really understand history, there's really not much change from the years before but now many more people are just aware. 6. Get served. Any questions about any of my statements just reply back and I'm serious about that. And trollers, keep on trolling. From New York to you guys.

                                                                                                                                        [–]ReidWass 2 points3 points ago

                                                                                                                                        The Real Housewives of Yemen Country

                                                                                                                                        [–]Clay_Statue 7 points8 points ago

                                                                                                                                        Bad people doing bad things in an awful place.

                                                                                                                                        [–]DrZoidberg1 3 points4 points ago

                                                                                                                                        Those are the manliest hands I've ever seen on a child wife.

                                                                                                                                        [–]hot_ass_dolly 9 points10 points ago

                                                                                                                                        HOLY SHIT! Even more wtf than this disgusting practice is the discussion people are having about puberty, menstruation, cultural norm etc! Let's PRETEND for a moment it doesn't matter that these are CHILDREN, they are forced marriages and these KIDS are FORCED to be breeding slaves!!

                                                                                                                                        [–]ratjea 0 points1 point ago

                                                                                                                                        They used to use biotruths to explain things like this, now they're using…culturetruths?

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