The Reading / Listening - Child Grooms - Level 1

A new UNICEF report says 115 million boys and men were married as children. About 23 million of these married before they were 15. A lot of news focuses on young girls being forced into marriage as child brides. UNICEF's in-depth report looks at forced marriages for boys. It looked at 82 countries. It found that boys getting married was common in countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. The Central African Republic has the highest rate.

UNICEF said child marriage damaged the lives of boys. It said: "Marriage steals childhood. Child grooms are forced to take on adult responsibilities for which they may not be ready." It said early marriage and early fatherhood pressured boys to look after families and cut short their education and job opportunities. UNICEF said child marriage affected boys and girls. It said it was unfair children had to look after a family at such a young age.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Child Grooms - Level 0 Child Grooms - Level 2   or  Child Grooms - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/115-million-boys-and-men-around-world-married-children-unicef
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/child-grooms-unicef-boys-men-marriage-children-a8947296.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/07/its-not-just-girls-one-in-30-young-men-were-married-as-children


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. 115 million boys and men were
  2. 23 million of these married before
  3. A lot of news focuses
  4. forced into marriage as
  5. UNICEF's in-
  6. It looked
  7. common in countries
  8. The Central African Republic has
  1. the highest rate
  2. on young girls
  3. at 82 countries
  4. they were 15
  5. in Africa
  6. child brides
  7. married as children
  8. depth report

Paragraph 2

  1. child marriage damaged
  2. forced to take on adult
  3. they may not
  4. early fatherhood
  5. job
  6. child marriage affected
  7. children had to look
  8. at such a
  1. pressured boys
  2. boys and girls
  3. responsibilities
  4. young age
  5. be ready
  6. the lives of boys
  7. opportunities
  8. after a family

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A new (1) ___________________ 115 million boys and men were (2) ___________________. About 23 million of these married before they were 15. A lot of news (3) ___________________ girls being forced into marriage as child brides. UNICEF's in-depth report (4) ___________________ marriages for boys. It looked at 82 countries. It found that boys getting married (5) ___________________ countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. The Central African Republic has (6) ___________________.

UNICEF said child marriage (7) ___________________ of boys. It said: "Marriage steals childhood. Child (8) ___________________ to take on adult responsibilities for which they may (9) ___________________." It said early marriage and early fatherhood pressured boys to look after families (10) ___________________ their education and job opportunities. UNICEF said child marriage (11) ___________________ girls. It said it was unfair children had to look after a family (12) ___________________ young age.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AnewUNICEFreportsays115millionboysandmenweremarriedaschild
ren.About23millionofthesemarriedbeforetheywere15.Alotofnewsfo
cusesonyounggirlsbeingforcedintomarriageaschildbrides.UNICEF'si
n-depthreportlooksatforcedmarriagesforboys.Itlookedat82countri
es.ItfoundthatboysgettingmarriedwascommonincountriesinAfrica,L
atinAmerica,AsiaandthePacific.TheCentralAfricanRepublichasthehi
ghestrate.UNICEFsaidchildmarriagedamagedthelivesofboys.Itsaid:
"Marriagestealschildhood.Childgroomsareforcedtotakeonadultresp
onsibilitiesforwhichtheymaynotbeready."Itsaidearlymarriageandea
rlyfatherhoodpressuredboystolookafterfamiliesandcutshorttheired
ucationandjobopportunities.UNICEFsaidchildmarriageaffectedboys
andgirls.Itsaiditwasunfairchildrenhadtolookafterafamilyatsuchayou
ngage.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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