This was supposed to be a happy day in Sibiu, Romania. Twelve-year-old "princess bride" Ana Maria Cioaba was to be married to her fifteen-year-old groom. She stormed out of the church screaming "Leave me alone!" at reporters. She returned minutes later and though she would hardly look at the groom, and was duly married. Ana's words were "I don't want to marry, I am choosey and I have refused several marriage partners my parents presented to me." Is any of this right, or just? I for one don't think so.
I think this is a horrible ordeal. No one should be forced to do anything. Especially no one should be forced to make a commitment for the rest of their life. Marriage is a beautiful thing in which two people who love each other decide to spend the rest of their lives together. You can't force something like that. Who are we to tell other people who they should love?.
This girl is only twelve years old and she's having a tremendous amount of pressure put on her. When you were twelve were you thinking about duties of royalty and marriage. I sure know that I wasn't. I was thinking about friends and having fun. This young girl should be doing the same thing. She should certainly not have to be married.
"This is a happy day for the royal household," said Ana's father, Florin Cioaba. That was most certainly not a happy day. Who would be happy if they have to be married to a man three years older than them and not even be able to look at him? "She has been crying all day, but the marriage will go ahead with or without her," Dana Cherendea, adviser to Ana's father said. Does that statement make it sound like it would make anyone happy at all? Of course not. "What wedding," said Ana after the ceremony. That is exactly what should have happened. There should have been no wedding.
The legal marriage age in Romania is eighteen years old. This law is being bent for the tradition of arranged Gypsy child marriages.
