ENGLISH A CSEC – SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

Candidate Name: Raffiela Bonadie

Candidate Number: 1500270137

Form: 5 Business
Subject: English A

Center Name: Thomas Saunders Secondary School

Center Number: 150027

Topic: Gender Inequality

Title: Forced Marriage

Territory: St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Teacher’s Name: Mrs. Allen Jack

Date of Submission: 14/02/2024

Year of Examination: 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page. No
Plan of Investigation 1

Artifact One 2-3

Artifact Two 4

Artifact Three 5-6

Reflection One 7

Reflection Two 8

Reflection Three 9

Group Written Report 10

Artifact One 11-12

Artifact Two 13-14

Artifact Three 15-16

Oral Presentation Outline 17

Oral Presentation 18-20

Bibliography 21
 PLAN OF INVESTIGATION
My group chose the topic ‘Gender Inequality’ because we want to explore the discrimination
and stereotype between both genders. I selected the subtopic ‘Forced Marriage' because it's a
dilemma in many societies and I wish to investigate to bring awareness to the issue. As a student
of English I expect to enhance my summary writing and vocabulary skills. To conduct research, I
plan to use two articles and a poem from the internet and textbooks. My summary writing skills
will be used when writing reflection one, while my vocabulary skills will be used in writing my
oral presentation.

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 ARTIFACT ONE
Forced child marriage

More than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday, many against
their will. Forced child marriage robs them of their childhoods, education, health and freedom,
and can leave girls vulnerable to abuse for the rest of their lives.1

Girls living in the poorest, rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the most
vulnerable. As populations continue to grow, hundreds of millions of girls remain at risk.

Local ActionAid workers are working to end forced child marriage in their communities –
bringing perpetrators to justice, educating communities on the negative effects of forced child
marriage, and empowering girls to have a voice and say no.

ActionAid also campaigns at a regional, national and international level to end forced marriage.

Forced child marriage facts and statistics

Worldwide, more than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday,
many against their will. 17% of the world’s child brides live in Africa - that's 125 million. 12
million girls are married before the age of 18 each year - that's 23 girls every minute.

What are the causes of forced child marriage?

Despite laws against forced child marriage in most countries, various exceptions to the minimum
age undermine these laws and make them difficult to enforce. Exceptions include parental
consent, authorisation of the court, or local customary or religious laws.

The reasons for child marriage differ from country to country, but in sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia – where the practice is most widespread – the key drivers are gender inequality, and
poverty.

Gender inequality

Deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs, the low value placed on girls, and the desire to control women,
especially girls' sexuality, underlie child marriage.

Social expectations and norms around the world expect girls to become wives and mothers, and
in poorer communities with limited opportunities for education and work it may seem like the
alternatives are limited. Even if opportunities are available, social norms that value boys over

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girls and support rigid gender roles means parents might not think it worthwhile investing in
their daughter’s education.

Forced child marriage is also closely linked to female genital mutilation (FGM) – the partial or
full cutting of a girl’s clitoris and labia for non-medical reasons – which is considered essential
for marriage in many communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The social stigma of not following tradition ensures the practice continues.

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/our-work/womens-rights/child-marriage

The name of this article is “Forced Child Marriage” by Action Aid.

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 ARTIFACT TWO
FREEDOM OF MARRIAGE

Under the Child Marriages Restraint Act, it is considered illegal for females to be married if they
are not yet 16 years of age. In Pakistan, Punjab province, a child marriage custom known as Vani
is practiced in tribal areas, to settle feuds between clans, otherwise money must be paid, which is
also known as “Deet”. In 2012, a six-year-old girl had to be married to resolve the dispute
between two families. This is one of the extreme cases of child marriages.

Freedom of Marriage - Pakistan (weebly.com)

The name of this article is ‘Freedom of Marriage-Pakistan’ written by an anonymous author.

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 ARTIFACT THREE
Poem

She is a victim of her own gender

Guilty she was made for being a girl
In her soul they dug a hole of misery
And sadly enough she had nothing else
But to fill that vacuum with a vacuum

At birth her father made a nasty regret

He wished to have seen her a still born
He thought a boy would have been better
As he would carry on the family lineage
"Or would lift clan pride at battle fronts"

At a tender age of six her body was cut

Parts of here private parts got rid of
Leyla had undergone a rite of passage
In the name of culture a crime was committed

At puberty Leyla was married off to a man

Her father has arranged one of his choice
The dowry has impressively been so big
Like a cow in the market he sold out his daughter

But well before he acquired the money

Bubbles of his euphoria had busted away
Leyla resisted this ugly marriage deal
And so he struck her in the head with a chord
Tragedy descended as Leyla died bleeding

In the fabric of a life woven with prejudice

The thread of its values remain barbaric
Leyla was strangled with ropes of abuse
and buried in the sands of discrimination
As forced marriage is a marriage of death

Poem title- ‘Forced Marriage’ by Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed

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https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=12041&id=236475

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 REFLECTION ONE
Before embarking on this topic, I knew about the struggles people endure based on their gender.
The article titled ‘Forced Marriage’ by Actionaid, explains that marriages can sometime happen
without the other party’s consent. This artifact made me think about what little or nonexistent
privileges women experience in some societies.

The article titled ‘Freedom of Marriage’ by an anonymous author describes the lack of
privilege in a young girl’s choice of marriage in some societies. This artifact made me consider
the unfair costs society places on women.

The poem ‘Forced Marriage’ by Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed describes how young women are
sold off into marriage. I became aware of how little influence women had over their life as a
result of this artifact.

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 REFLECTION TWO
The first article by an unknown author, aims to teach its readers more about forced marriage in
some societies. The writer uses facts and statistics, such as “Worldwide, more than 250 million
women alive today were married before their 15th birthday, many against their will. 17% of the
world’s child brides live in Africa - that's 125 million. 12 million girls are married before the age
of 18 each year - that's 23 girls every minute”, to give the reader an idea of the number of young
girls who experience forced marriage. The language of this article is formal.

The second article informs its readers about the immense pressure many young girls face. It uses
facts, like “In 2012, a six-year-old girl had to be married to resolve the dispute between two
families”, to show how young girls are forced into marriage to settle feuds. The language is
formal.

The poem ‘, informs readers of the sheer terms a young girl go through from the time she was
born. The writer uses simile, such as, “Like a cow in the market he sold out his daughter”, this
line highlights the dowry system which devalues women and treats them like objects to be sold
off. The poem uses a mixture of both formal and informal language.

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 REFLECTION THREE
Through completing this SBA, I realized the importance of thorough research and organizing my
ideas before writing. At first, I found group work challenging because my group members were
new to each other and lacked communicating skills. As time went on, my group and I got better
at talking each other and sharing the research we did. This SBA taught me how to use my time
wisely so that I can finish all my tasks at the given time.

This project taught me why teamwork matters and how everyone adds value. In addition, this
SBA helped me improve my vocabulary and writing skills, and I will be able to use those skills
in future writing projects.

Studying this topic helped me understand that social norms and biases to genders exist, and it is
important for us as a society to fight for equal rights for everyone, no matter their gender.

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 GROUP WRITTEN REPORT
For our English SBA, we chose the topic of "Gender Inequality". To make our topic more
manageable, we divided it into four sub-topics: Forced Marriage, Citizenship, Access to
Education, and Professional Obstacles. Each member of our group selected artifacts that best
related to their specific sub-topic. In total, we collected twelve artifacts from various online
sources. After collecting the artifacts, we analyzed them. Through a process of elimination, we
identified the three best artifacts that spoke most effectively to our topic. These artifacts
consisted of one article and two poems.

In the article titled “Forced Child Marriage” by Actionaid, the article discusses forced marriage
among women, explaining that it happens when someone is made to marry against their will. It
affects many women worldwide, particularly in countries where tradition allow it. Forced
marriage can rob girls of their childhood, education, and health. Poverty, lack of education, and
gender inequality contribute to forced marriage.

In the poem entitled “Forced Marriage” written by Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed, the poet used a
combination of descriptive words, vivid imagery, metaphors, and other poetic techniques to
convey the concept of the freedom of marriage amongst women. They wanted to express the idea
that women should have the power to choose their own partners and not be bound by societal
expectations.

In the poem titled “Gender Inequality” by Eggink, The poet is conveying a message about gender
roles and the influence of society. They use descriptive and emotional language to show the
restrictions and expectations placed on both men and women.

The theme of these three pieces is gender inequality's impact on women and their daily
challenges. While studying them, we learned how to understand and evaluate our main topic and
subtopics. At first, we struggled to work as a group, but eventually, we learned to cooperate and
appreciate each other.

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 ARTIFACT ONE
Forced child marriage

More than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday, many against
their will. Forced child marriage robs them of their childhoods, education, health and freedom,
and can leave girls vulnerable to abuse for the rest of their lives.

Girls living in the poorest, rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the most
vulnerable. As populations continue to grow, hundreds of millions of girls remain at risk.

Local ActionAid workers are working to end forced child marriage in their communities –
bringing perpetrators to justice, educating communities on the negative effects of forced child
marriage, and empowering girls to have a voice and say no.

ActionAid also campaigns at a regional, national and international level to end forced marriage.

Forced child marriage facts and statistics

Worldwide, more than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday,
many against their will. 17% of the world’s child brides live in Africa - that's 125 million. 12
million girls are married before the age of 18 each year - that's 23 girls every minute.

What are the causes of forced child marriage?

Despite laws against forced child marriage in most countries, various exceptions to the minimum
age undermine these laws and make them difficult to enforce. Exceptions include parental
consent, authorisation of the court, or local customary or religious laws.

The reasons for child marriage differ from country to country, but in sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia – where the practice is most widespread – the key drivers are gender inequality, and
poverty.

Gender inequality

Deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs, the low value placed on girls, and the desire to control women,
especially girls' sexuality, underlie child marriage.

Social expectations and norms around the world expect girls to become wives and mothers, and
in poorer communities with limited opportunities for education and work it may seem like the
alternatives are limited. Even if opportunities are available, social norms that value boys over

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girls and support rigid gender roles means parents might not think it worthwhile investing in
their daughter’s education.

Forced child marriage is also closely linked to female genital mutilation (FGM) – the partial or
full cutting of a girl’s clitoris and labia for non-medical reasons – which is considered essential
for marriage in many communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The social stigma of not following tradition ensures the practice continues.

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/our-work/womens-rights/child-marriage

The name of this article is “Forced Child Marriage” by Actionaid.

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 ARTIFACT TWO
Poem

She is a victim of her own gender

Guilty she was made for being a girl
In her soul they dug a hole of misery
And sadly enough she had nothing else
But to fill that vacuum with a vacuum

At birth her father made a nasty regret

He wished to have seen her a still born
He thought a boy would have been better
As he would carry on the family lineage
"Or would lift clan pride at battle fronts"

At a tender age of six her body was cut

Parts of here private parts got rid of
Leyla had undergone a rite of passage
In the name of culture a crime was committed

At puberty Leyla was married off to a man

Her father has arranged one of his choice
The dowry has impressively been so big
Like a cow in the market he sold out his daughter

But well before he acquired the money

Bubbles of his euphoria had busted away
Leyla resisted this ugly marriage deal
And so he struck her in the head with a chord
Tragedy descended as Leyla died bleeding

In the fabric of a life woven with prejudice

The thread of its values remain barbaric
Leyla was strangled with ropes of abuse
and buried in the sands of discrimination
As forced marriage is a marriage of death

Poem title- ‘Forced Marriage’ by Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed

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https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=12041&id=236475

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 ARTIFACT THREE
A poem about Gender Inequality

“What is gender?

Is gender an identity?

Certainly gender is not a choice.

But gender is shaped, molded to young new minds strings hang from children’s joints to dance as
society tells them

No matter man or woman, we are born into roles.

The woman, the one whose mind stands and pleads on her legs, bring about equality

But whose body reacts not out of her own accordance and moves

Moves, graceful, gentle, elegant, and FEMININE.

As society tells her, she is a woman, and that is her role.

Where she wishes to stomp, she stands on her tiptoes.

Where she wishes to thrash, she glides across the floor.

A puppet bound by the hands of society, pushing, pushing

To free herself, to change what being a woman means, what (gender) equality means.

The man, he is to castrated by the hands to be a MAN.

What does that mean? Better put, what does that mean to society?

I don’t dance.

I am the example to others, and know how to do everything

I don’t feel things, or at least show them, because that is not what I do.

I am powerful and MANLY, funny that should be made into an adjective ...

But, I am not one who should be played with like a puppet, much like the woman,

I do have feelings, but they cannot be expressed for society tells me I will be seen otherwise,

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I don’t know everything even when I’m expected to,

I have my pride as a man, and am no one’s puppet, I too wish to change the meaning of “man”.

But strip us down, wash away our skin, we are bare, we are the same,

INSIDE

What makes us, us?

Is it our gender?

Is it society?
No, what makes us, what makes you, is ultimately your decision, and that’s something, not even
society, can take away from you

Poem by user Eggink

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 ORAL PRESENTATION OUTLINE
My group chose the topic of "Gender Inequality" because it is an important issue that affects
many people, especially women, in society. I chose the subtopic “Forced Marriage”, which
happens when a person is married without their consent or against their will. Unfortunately,
forced marriage is more common for girls and women compared to boys and men. This is
because in some cultures or societies, girls are seen as less valuable than boys. As a result, they
may be forced into marriage at a young age, often to older men . To gather this information I
gathered three artifacts which consisted of a poem and two articles. To convey the subtopic of
"Forced Marriage" I will be using an original piece for my oral presentation, which will be a
poem. The use of poetic language, such as rhymes and metaphors, will also help to engage my
audience and evoke emotions.

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 ORAL PRESENTATION
In a world where traditions bind,

Women’s voices often left behind.

Marriage becomes a pawn in play,

Their consent, society may betray.

Forced into unions, against their will,

Their dreams and desires left still.

Debts to pay, or customs to uphold,

Their freedom and choices, often sold

In the shadows of tradition's grasp, they find,

Their voices muffled, their hopes confined

Where love is bartered, and souls are traded,

Their autonomy, ruthlessly raided

Forced into roles they did not seek,

Their spirit wounded, their futures bleak

A transactional bond, devoid of affection,

Their dreams crushed under societal direction.

But in the depths of despair, a spark ignites,

Resilience born from countless fights

They rise from the ashes, fierce and bold,

Breaking free from the chains that once controlled

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With each sunrise, a new dawn begins,

As they reclaim their lives, shed the shackles of sins

Their voices swell into a mighty roar,

Demanding justice, forevermore

But change is brewing, voices rise,

Women reclaiming their own skies

Fighting against this unjust plight,

Challenging norms with all their might

Let’s stand together, hand in hand,

Empowering women across the land

For marriage should be a choice, not a chain,

Where equality and consent forever reign

In the face of adversity, they stand tall,

Breaking barriers, breaking down walls

Their courage ignites a blazing fire,

Fueling the flames of hope and desire

No longer shackled by outdated views,

They pave the way, refusing to lose

With every step, they forge a new path,

A future where their voices echo, not wrath

Let's amplify their voices, let them be heard,

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Their strength and resilience, an inspiring word

Together we'll create a world anew,

Where equality and freedom ring true

So let's join hands, hearts intertwined,

In the fight for justice, for all womankind

For their autonomy, their right to choose,

In this journey, let's never refuse

Forced marriages are a serious concern,

Where freedom and choice are often spurned

It’s crucial to raise our voices high,

To protect those whose dreams are denied

Love should be a bond that’s freely chosen,

Not a burden that leaves hearts broken

Let’s stand together, united and strong,

To end this practice and right the wrong

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anonymous Author: “Forced Child Marriage” https://www.actionaid.org.uk/our-work/womens-
rights/child-marriage

Anonymous Author: “Freedom of Marriage” Freedom of Marriage - Pakistan (weebly.com)

Abdi-Noor Haji Mohamed: “Forced Marriage”

https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=12041&id=236475

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