Memory Banda: A Warrior’s Cry Against Child Marriage | TED

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Regina Chu

I'll begin today

今天我要以

by sharing a poem

分享一首詩來開場，

written by my friend from Malawi,

作者是我在馬拉威的朋友

Eileen Piri.

艾琳．琵里。

Eileen is only 13 years old,

艾琳只有 13 歲，

but when we were going through the collection of poetry that we wrote,

但當我們逐一細讀 大家合著的詩集時，

I found her poem so interesting,

我發現她的詩很有趣，

so motivating.

非常啟迪人心。

So I'll read it to you.

在此我朗誦給大家聽。

She entitled her poem "I'll Marry When I Want."

她的詩題是 《我想結婚的時候才結婚》。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"I'll marry when I want.

「我想結婚的時候才結婚。

My mother can't force me to marry.

我的母親不能逼迫我結婚。

My father cannot force me to marry.

我的父親不能逼迫我結婚。

My uncle, my aunt,

我的伯父、阿姨、

my brother or sister,

兄弟姊妹

cannot force me to marry.

都不能逼迫我結婚。

No one in the world

世界上沒有人

can force me to marry.

可以逼迫我結婚。

I'll marry when I want.

我想結婚的時候才結婚。

Even if you beat me,

即使你打我，

even if you chase me away,

即使你追著我跑，

even if you do anything bad to me,

即使你無所不用其極，

I'll marry when I want.

我想結婚的時候才結婚。

I'll marry when I want,

我想結婚的時候才結婚，

but not before I am well educated,

但要等到我學業有成，

and not before I am all grown up.

等到我長大成人。

I'll marry when I want."

我想結婚的時候才結婚。」

This poem might seem odd,

這首詩聽起來也許奇怪，

written by a 13-year-old girl,

由 13 歲女孩所寫，

but where I and Eileen come from,

但在我和艾琳的家鄉，

this poem, which I have just read to you,

這首我唸給各位聽的詩，

is a warrior's cry.

是一位勇士的呼喊。

I am from Malawi.

我來自馬拉威，

Malawi is one of the poorest countries,

在世界上名列極為貧窮國之一，

very poor,

非常窮，

where gender equality is questionable.

性別平等在那裡是個大問號。

Growing up in that country,

在那個國家成長，

I couldn't make my own choices in life.

我不能為自己的人生做決定。

I couldn't even explore

我甚至不能探索

personal opportunities in life.

自己生命中的機會。

I will tell you a story

我和大家分享一個故事，

of two different girls,

主角是兩個不同的女孩，

two beautiful girls.

兩位漂亮的女孩。

These girls grew up

她們在同一個屋簷下長大。

under the same roof.

They were eating the same food.

吃一樣的食物，

Sometimes, they would share clothes,

有時候她們要共用衣服，

and even shoes.

就連鞋子也是。

But their lives ended up differently,

但她們的生命際遇完全不同，

in two different paths.

她們走上不同的道路。

The other girl is my little sister.

另一位女孩是我的妹妹。

My little sister was only 11 years old

我妹妹才 11 歲大的時候

when she got pregnant.

就懷孕了。

It's a hurtful thing.

那是讓人很心痛的事。

Not only did it hurt her, even me.

不只是讓她心痛，也讓我心痛。

I was going through a hard time as well.

我也經歷了一段艱難時刻。

As it is in my culture,

在我的文化背景裡，

once you reach puberty stage,

只要到了青春期階段，

you are supposed to go to initiation camps.

大家就認為你應該要參加啟蒙營。

In these initiation camps,

這些啟蒙營

you are taught how to sexually please a man.

會教你要怎麼在性事上取悅男人。

There is this special day,

還有一個特別的日子，

which they call "Very Special Day"

他們稱為「非常特別日」，

where a man who is hired by the community

社區會聘請一名男性

comes to the camp

來到營地

and sleeps with the little girls.

和小女孩上床。

Imagine the trauma that these young girls

想像這些年輕女孩受的創傷

go through every day.

日以繼夜不斷上演。

Most girls end up pregnant.

很多女孩都懷孕了。

They even contract HIV and AIDS

甚至被傳染 人類免疫缺陷病毒和愛滋病，

and other sexually transmitted diseases.

以及其它透過性交傳染的疾病。

For my little sister, she ended up being pregnant.

而我小妹則是懷孕了。

Today, she's only 16 years old

現在她才 16 歲

and she has three children.

就有三個孩子了。

Her first marriage did not survive,

她的第一段婚姻沒有長久，

nor did her second marriage.

第二段也是。

On the other side, there is this girl.

而另一位女孩就在這裡，

She's amazing.

她很優秀。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I call her amazing because she is.

我說她優秀是因為她名符其實，

She's very fabulous.

她很傑出。

That girl is me. (Laughter)

那個女孩就是我。（笑聲）

When I was 13 years old,

我 13 歲的時候，

I was told, you are grown up,

也有人跟我說，你成年了，

you have now reached of age,

現在你年紀到了，

you're supposed to go to the initiation camp.

應該要去參加啟蒙營。

I was like, "What?

我就回：「什麼啊？！

I'm not going to go to the initiation camps."

我才不要參加那些啟蒙營。」

You know what the women said to me?

你知道那女人跟我說什麼嗎？

"You are a stupid girl. Stubborn.

「你這女孩真笨又固執，

You do not respect the traditions of our society, of our community."

你不尊重我們社會和社區的傳統。」

I said no because I knew where I was going.

我說你錯了， 我知道自己的未來是什麼。

I knew what I wanted in life.

我知道我的生活要有什麼。

I had a lot of dreams as a young girl.

身為青少女，我有很多夢想。

I wanted to get well educated,

我想接受良好的教育，

to find a decent job in the future.

未來找個好工作。

I was imagining myself as a lawyer,

我當時想像自己變成律師，

seated on that big chair.

坐在那種很大的椅子上。

Those were the imaginations that

那些想像

were going through my mind every day.

每天在我腦海裡浮現。

And I knew that one day,

我知道總有一天，

I would contribute something, a little something to my community.

我會貢獻， 貢獻棉薄之力給我的社區。

But every day after refusing,

但拒絕後的每一天，

women would tell me,

那些女人就會跟我說：

"Look at you, you're all grown up. Your little sister has a baby.

「看看你，你都長大了， 你小妹都有孩子了，

What about you?"

你呢？」

That was the music that I was hearing every day,

這是每天不斷在我耳邊 重覆播放的魔音。

and that is the music that girls hear every day

這是每天不斷在女孩耳邊 重覆播放的魔音，

when they don't do something that the community needs them to do.

只要她們拒絕社區的要求 就會聽到一樣的話。

When I compared the two stories between me and my sister,

我對照自己和小妹的故事，

I said, "Why can't I do something?

我自問： 「為什麼我不能做點什麼？

Why can't I change something that has happened for a long time

為什麼我不能改變

在我們社區發生很久的事情？」

in our community?"

That was when I called other girls

當時我就打了幾通電話給其他女生，

just like my sister, who have children,

她們就像我妹妹一樣有小孩，

who have been in class but they have forgotten how to read and write.

之前一直有上學， 但是已經忘了怎麼讀書寫字。

I said, "Come on, we can remind each other

我告訴她們：「來呀， 我們可以幫彼此複習

how to read and write again,

怎麼重新讀書和寫字，

how to hold the pen, how to read, to hold the book."

怎麼拿筆、讀書和拿書。」

It was a great time I had with them.

我和她們共處的那段時光非常美好。

Nor did I just learn a little about them,

雖然我只是稍微認識她們而已，

but they were able to tell me their personal stories,

但是她們會告訴我她們的故事、

what they were facing every day

她們每天碰到的事，

as young mothers.

身為人母的事。

That was when I was like,

當時我就想：

'Why can't we take all these things that are happening to us

「為什麼我們不能把所有 發生在我們身上的事，

and present them and tell our mothers, our traditional leaders,

呈現給她們看， 告訴我們的母親、傳統領袖

that these are the wrong things?"

這些都是錯的事？」

It was a scary thing to do,

要做這件事很恐怖，

because these traditional leaders,

因為這些傳統領袖

they are already accustomed to the things

都已經習慣

這些幾百年的傳統了。

that have been there for ages.

A hard thing to change,

改變是難事，

but a good thing to try.

但嘗試是好事。

So we tried.

因此我們嘗試了。

It was very hard, but we pushed.

真的很難，但我們努力推動。

And I'm here to say that in my community,

今天我在此告訴大家，

我的社區是第一個

it was the first community after girls

女生這麼努力 改變傳統領袖的社區，

pushed so hard to our traditional leader,

and our leader stood up for us and said no girl has to be married

我們的領袖支持我們， 並宣布女孩若要結婚

before the age of 18.

必須年滿 18 歲。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

In my community,

我的社區

that was the first time a community,

是第一個

必須動用地方法的社區，

they had to call the bylaws,

the first bylaw that protected girls

第一個保護女孩的地方法

in our community.

就在我們社區。

We did not stop there.

我們沒有就此罷手。

We forged ahead.

我們快馬加鞭。

We were determined to fight for girls not just in my community,

我們下定決心， 不只要為我們社區的女孩而戰，

but even in other communities.

還要為其它社區的女孩而戰。

When the child marriage bill was being presented in February,

兒童婚姻法案二月備查時，

we were there at the Parliament house.

我們就待在國會。

Every day, when the members of Parliament were entering,

每天只要有議員進來，

we were telling them, "Would you please support the bill?"

我們就會對他們說： 「可以請你支持法案嗎？」

And we don't have much technology like here,

我們沒有很多 跟這裡一樣的科技，

but we have our small phones.

但是我們有自己小小的電話。

So we said, "Why can't we get their numbers and text them?"

我們想：「何不找出他們的電話號碼， 然後傳簡訊給他們？」

So we did that. It was a good thing.

後來我們真的這樣做了，那是好事。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So when the bill passed, we texted them back,

法案通過之後，我們再傳簡訊：

"Thank you for supporting the bill."

「謝謝你支持法案。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And when the bill was signed by the president,

總統簽署法案之後，

making it into law, it was a plus.

就能納入法律，這更好。

Now, in Malawi, 18 is the legal marriage age, from 15 to 18.

現在在馬拉威， 18 歲是合法結婚的年紀，

從 15 歲提高到 18 歲。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

It's a good thing to know that the bill passed,

知道法案通過是好事，

but let me tell you this:

但讓我告訴各位：

There are countries where 18 is the legal marriage age,

雖然在很多國家 合法結婚年齡是 18 歲，

but don't we hear cries of women and girls every day?

但我們就因此沒有日夜聽見 婦女和女孩哭泣的聲音了嗎？

Every day, girls' lives are being wasted away.

每天都有女孩的生命平白浪費。

This is high time for leaders to honor their commitment.

現在正是領袖實踐諾言的時候，

In honoring this commitment,

實踐諾言

it means keeping girls' issues at heart every time.

意謂著時時刻刻 將女孩的議題放在心上。

We don't have to be subjected as second,

我們不必然要居次位，

but they have to know that women, as we are in this room,

但他們要知道女人 就如同在場的女性，

we are not just women, we are not just girls,

我們不只是女人， 我們不只是女孩，

we are extraordinary.

我們出類拔萃。

We can do more.

我們可以做得更多。

And another thing for Malawi,

另一件關於馬拉威的事情，

and not just Malawi but other countries:

不只事關馬拉威， 也與其它國家有關：

The laws which are there,

我們有現成的法律，

you know how a law is not a law until it is enforced?

你知道法律在真正執行前 算不上是法律嗎？

The law which has just recently passed

這條法律最近才剛通過，

and the laws that in other countries have been there,

而這條法律在其它國家早已實施，

they need to be publicized at the local level,

他們需要推展宣傳到全國各地，

at the community level,

要讓社區人盡皆知，

where girls' issues are very striking.

因為女孩的議題非常重要。

Girls face issues, difficult issues, at the community level every day.

每天各個社區 都有女孩的議題、難題。

So if these young girls know that there are laws that protect them,

如果年輕女孩知道有法律保護她們，

they will be able to stand up and defend themselves

她們就可以起身反抗、保護自己，

because they will know that there is a law that protects them.

因為她們知道有法律保護她們。

And another thing I would say is that

另一件事是關於

girls' voices and women's voices

女孩與女人的聲音

are beautiful, they are there,

很美妙，她們已投入其中，

but we cannot do this alone.

但是我們不能孤軍奮戰。

Male advocates, they have to jump in,

男性提倡者必須投入、

to step in and work together.

介入，並共同努力。

It's a collective work.

我們需要大家一起合作。

What we need is what girls elsewhere need:

其它地方女孩和我們需要的一樣：

good education, and above all, not to marry whilst 11.

良好的教育，最重要的是 不在 11 歲就結婚。

And furthermore,

此外，

I know that together,

我知道只要攜手合作，

we can transform the legal,

我們就可以改革法律、

the cultural and political framework

文化與政治的框架，

that denies girls of their rights.

那些侷限女孩權力的框架。

I am standing here today

今天我站在這裡，

and declaring that we can end child marriage in a generation.

宣告我們可以在一個世代間 終止兒童婚姻。

This is the moment

此時此刻，

where a girl and a girl, and millions of girls worldwide,

每一位女孩， 以及全世界無數的女孩，

will be able to say,

都可以說：

"I will marry when I want."

「我想要結婚的時候才結婚。」

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you. (Applause)

謝謝。（掌聲）