Innocence Destroyed Children Are Not Brides

Often hidden or ignored, child brides and sex slaves are still a current global problem; as is child abuse in varying ways, including child labour. Heartbreaking and unacceptable. Girls Not Brides website: See the interactive Atlas for the %'s per country, which can be as high as 76%. Key facts 12 million girls marry before the age of 18 every year. 1 in 5 girls in the world are married before 18. Over 650 million women alive today were married as children. Sources The Atlas is based on UNICEF data for 2020. It is updated every two years, with the next review taking place in June 2022. www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/where-child-marriage-happens/ World's Children website: 27% of trafficking victims are children. There are an estimated 168 million child laborers around the world, with around half of them participating in what is known as “hazardous work” – work that endangers the child’s physical, emotional, or social well-being. 66% of child trafficking victims are girls. (Save the Children, 2020) 99% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are women and girls. (IBLA, 2019) www.worldschildren.org/child-trafficking-statistics/ Innocence destroyed (Children are not brides) By Michelle Morris 13/03/2021 You said we were beautiful, You convinced me of our love; But it was all a ruse, Your intentions dishonourable. Chorus In who do we trust, when shattered minds and hearts are laid bare? In who do we rely, when it feels like no one cares? (end chorus) Childhood innocence destroyed, No one to tell of the dark void; Trauma of being used, Over and over again. Chorus They'll say you're beautiful, That only they can understand; They'll put their dirty hands on you, And you'll never be the same. Chorus Be careful who you trust, Not all are good inside; Remember love is not lust, And children are not brides. Chorus © Michelle Morris, 2021