Norway Shocks World With Anti-Child Marriage Campaign Called 'Thea’ Project

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A Norwegian campaign bringing awareness to the issue of child marriage has been making headlines as of late.

A blog, written by 12-year-old Thea, in which the child expresses her thoughts on her impending marriage to 37-year-old Geir has gone viral. The blog was reportedly created by Plan, an international aid organization working towards strengthening girls' rights, according to The Independent.

An estimated 39,000 children brides are married every day and Plan's country director Olaf Thommessen reportedly told the media outlet about the importance of drawing attention to the issue of child marriage.

"We really wanted to bring home the issue and by creating a shock factor, we think we have really got peoples' attention. We have all kind of people engaging, people who are not usually motivated or involved in these kinds of things - the response has been immense," explained Thommessen.

The blog goes into details about Thea's life, her pre-wedding plans as well as the relationship between her and her mother as they prepare for the wedding. The writer posing as Thea also reportedly touches on the young girl's fears of having sex with her husband.

The "Thea" project was reportedly used to encourage Norwegians to stop Thea's wedding before her October 11 wedding date, according to the Huffington Post. The plan was a success as people called police to make sure that Thea was protected.

"The practice [of underage marriages] violates girls' human rights, curtails their education, harms their health, and sharply contains their futures. Girls who marry early are most often deprived of the opportunity to reach their full potential and rise out of poverty," Plan International wrote on its website, further raising awareness to the issue.

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