Here we go again with the US and UK trying to dictate it's morals and customs on the rest of the world. And you wonder why these 3rd world countries hate us so much. According to this article, girls who marry at a young age lose their innocence and are unable to complete an education. In these countries there is little chance of a girl getting much of an education in the first place. There is very little in the way of family structure and many times these girls have no family at all. it is a sad situation indeed but this is their way of life. And being married can at least give them some sense of security in their lives In years and centuries gone by it was perfectly normal and expected for a girl to marry after reaching puberty, around the age of 12. These girls were not robbed of anything, they were just following the custom. This article also seems to point to the age of under 18 to qualify as a child in these situations. In the US and UK it is a very few girls who have not lost their "innocence" by then. until the last few years it was legal for a child over 14 to marry as long as their spouse was under 18 in one state. Different countries and societies have their own customs and laws. Who are we to step in and violate their civil rights when we cant even get our own under control?