Child brides are a little-known, but very real, problem in America today

When she was 10, Safia Mahjebin started skipping school. She used to ride the New York City subways, aimlessly. “I just love riding the train,” she says. “You ride from one end to the other, and then you go back. And then you get out at a few stops and just explore … some stations are really beautiful.”

For Mahjebin, this was a rare taste of freedom. She came from a very strict, tight-knit Bangladeshi Muslim community. Those train excursions, however, didn’t last long. Her parents found out. And that’s how, at such a young age, “My dad was like, ‘If we can’t control you, then we’re going to [get] you married in Bangladesh.’ You know, as a kid back then, I remember staying quiet.”

This was not an empty threat. Read more here:

http://wvxu.org/post/child-brides-are-little-known-very-real-problem-america-today#stream/0