Marriage at 18: Old Enough by Law, But Not by Life

When men use the law to validate their desire, it’s not about love or mutual respect — it’s about control

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I had a very cringy conversation with a stranger that made me uncomfortable and left me deeply unsettled. I became very angry. It was one of those moments where someone’s ignorance hits so hard.

We were talking about a 20-year-old girl who was having an issue with her supposed husband. In the conversation, I mentioned that I had overheard the lady talking about the husband’s absence in the children’s life. I was thinking, Wow! You had children at 20. Not even one, but two.

Turns out, she had been married off at 17. She celebrated her 18th birthday in her husband’s house. And by 20, she already had two kids under the age of three. I was shocked. Saddened. And honestly, furious. Especially at her parents, for allowing it to happen.

But what made me angrier was the man I was speaking to. His response? “She was almost 18, so what’s the big deal?”

That sentence felt like a slap. But I wasn’t surprised. Because the truth is, when men talk like that, when they hide behind the law to justify relationships with girls who are barely…