“I met her on her wedding day, walked up to her and smiled. Back home no one ever talks to the bride. So I thought I’d try something new, thinking I could break tradition.” That’s how poet Emi Mahmoud begins her powerful spoken word poem “Child Bride.” The poem, recently published to Button Poetry, won Mahmoud the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam this past March. Hear her full poem here:
Washington
Grade: C
Number of Women and Girls At Risk: 25,000
Status: Existing Legislation Needs Strengthening
Improve by adding: Prosecuting parents/guardian, felony offense