According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), “child marriage is often the result of entrenched gender inequality, making girls disproportionately affected by the practice. Globally, the prevalence of child marriage among boys is just one sixth that among girls. Child marriage robs girls of their childhood and threatens their lives and health. Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school. They have worse economic and health outcomes than their unmarried peers, which are eventually passed down to their own children, further straining a country’s capacity to provide quality health and education services. Child brides often become pregnant during adolescence, when the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increases – for themselves and their infants. The practice can also isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their physical and psychological well-being. Because child marriage impacts a girl’s health, future and family, it imposes substantial economic costs at the national level, too, with major implications for development and prosperity.”

As you maybe aware, a lot of information has recently come to light about the infamous 1994 child-marriage of Aaliyah Dana Haughton when she was only 15 (fifteen) years old. In sworn testimony before the judicial branch of the U.S government (the courts), witnesses have informed members of the general public and representatives of the media that Robert Sylvester Kelly (a.k.a) R. Kelly [1] wanted to marry Aaliyah Dana Haughton in 1994 even though he was 27 (twenty seven) years old and she was only 15 years old; [2] wanted to marry Aaliyah Dana Haughton because he had impregnated her and he wanted her to have an abortion; [3] wanted to marry Aaliyah Dana Haughton because he didn’t want her to testify against him in a court of law about the exact nature of their relationship.

The Association for the Advancement of Civil Liberties (AACL) would like to take this opportunity to express several concerns about the June 29th 2022 article published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the subject of Aaliyah Dana Haughton child marriage. In the judgment of the AACL, the June 29th 2022 article published by the BBC is defamatory of Aaliyah Dana Haughton for insinuating that she was in 1994 intentionally deceitful for the purpose of concluding a marriage with R. Kelly. In addition to being defamatory, the June 29th 2022 article published by the BBC is extremely misleading because it failed to make clear the power dynamics in the romantic relationship between a 15-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man. As a matter of principle, the AACL unequivocally condemns violence committed against women irrespective of their racial backgrounds, their sexual orientations, their national origins, their religious affiliations and/or their age groups.

Be well. Take care. Keep yourselves at arms distance.

Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W

Anti-Racist Human Rights Activist

Audio-Visual Media Analyst 

Anti-Propaganda Journalist