Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by Coby Persin
In an attempt to shine a harsh light on the prevalence of child marriages (legally in many countries), YouTuber Coby Persin has conducted a social experiment to see how people in New York would react to a child bride and her older groom. New York reacted just as you would imagine - with shock and outrage.
The video shows two actors posing as a 65-year-old groom and his 12-year-old bride. The odd couple is seen getting their photographs clicked together in Times Square while Coby plays their photographer. A hidden camera, in the meantime, captures the reactions of those passing by.
A few people are caught on camera with disgust on their face, others are shown walking away from the scene and one woman is even seen wiping away a tear. Then, one by one, bystanders give the old man a piece of their mind.
"Where is your mom?," a woman asks the young girl. The man tries to explain he has her parents' permission to marry her but that only angers the woman more. "What are you doing with someone her age?," she demands to know.
More people are seen asking the man similar questions. Some even threaten to take him to the police. One man is seen getting so agitated, security has to intervene to calm him down.
This isn't the first time an experiment like has been conducted. About two weeks ago, KAFALebanon posted a similar video on YouTube which went viral with almost three million views. While most people in that experiment reacted just like the New Yorkers did, many were seen congratulating the old man on his wedding.
According to a UNICEF report from February 2016, one in four women worldwide were married before the age 18. It is plainly important for more people to speak out against this issue.
Since being posted on February 21, Coby Persin's video has already been viewed by almost a million people. The video rightly says that New Yorkers didn't stand for child marriage and nor should anyone else in the world.
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