Rewriting her future without early marriage

“We can’t afford her education anymore. It’s better to arrange her marriage now.”

Fourteen-year-old Samia’s throat tightened as she listened to her father discuss a life-altering decision. A decision that would replace her hopes of becoming a nurse with the realities of early marriage.

Early and forced marriage is a common practice in many areas of the world, including southwestern Bangladesh, where Samia lives. Worldwide, about 650 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. Early marriage, while being a dangerous practice, is a complex problem involving social norms and customs, poverty, lack of education, and many other factors.

World Vision Canada has a long history of working in communities where early and forced marriage are common. Youth Empowered was a three-year, multi-sectoral project that focuses on enhancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth, aged 10–24, by addressing child, early and forced marriage. The project was implemented by World Vision Bangladesh and World Vision Canada, together with local project partner Uttaran and funded by Global Affairs Canada.

When Samia heard of the plan to arrange her marriage, she was an adolescent volunteer with Uttaran, a partner of the Youth Empowered project. She had seen firsthand how the project helped prevent early and forced marriages in her community. Determined not to give up, she reached out to the project team for help. Recognizing the urgency, a peer group leader visited her home and sat down with her father. When the conversations first began, Samia's father was unmoved and insisted that “A girl’s marriage is her security.” The peer group leader didn’t give up. He explained how education is a path to a better life for his daughter, and shared the subtle dangers of early marriage including health risks, vulnerability to violence, early pregnancy, and many more.

Days went on and Samia waited and watched as the decision weighed on her father. One evening, he called his daughter to him. “I almost took away your future without realizing it,” he said, his voice softer than before. “Now, I understand that education is your strength.”

Youth Empowered has helped to prevent over 97 child marriages, including Samia’s.

The project established 60 peer groups, involving 1,800 adolescents, who received training on puberty, sexual and reproductive health, children's rights, gender equality, and preventing child marriage. After gaining knowledge through training, peer group members became young advocates, building networks with community clinics, local government, faith leaders and youth clubs to support adolescent girls and boys facing crises or in search of information.

Thanks to this partnership program, girls like Samia have been given a second chance to chase their dreams. Now, Samia is back in school, and continuing to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

“I am glad to be back in school. Now I am more determined to become a nurse, and make my family proud”, says Samia with a face dazzling with hope.

Her story is one of resilience, not just her own, but that of a community rallying together to protect the dreams of young girls and change the futures of generations to come.

This story was provided by World Vision Bangladesh and edited by Katrina de Schiffert. The names in the story have been changed for child safeguarding purposes.

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