Malawi: ‘I was sold for €8 to get married when I was 12’ – Became a mother at 13 and describes nightmare

One in five girls worldwide is married before the age of eighteen. In fact, young children are forced to marry for little money because their families live in poverty.

Even in countries that have laws against forced marriage, they fail to enforce them and young girls face the nightmare of an age where all they have to do is play…

Tamara is one of many girls in Malawi who were forced to marry at the age of 12. She was born in an agricultural community, and lived with her family below the poverty line.

“You should get married”

When her parents became ill and died, her grandmother took over her guardianship. A month later, when she returned from school, her grandmother told her that she “should get married.”

A man she had never met before paid 8 euros to marry her.

Tamara’s grandmother, as you mentioned BBCShe spent the money to buy corn for the family, and the man who paid for it was keen to leave school and live with him.

Forced child marriage has been illegal in Malawi since 2017, but is still practiced in rural communities. More than 40% of girls in the country are married before the age of 18, according to the NGO Girls Not Brides.

“He abused me every time I made a mistake.”

“Life was difficult because the man was older. He would physically abuse me by biting me every time I did something wrong,” Tamara was shocked.

She lived with him for three months, until someone informed social services. While efforts were being made to return Tamara to school and social services were visiting her, her husband fled.

Then the girl realized that she was late. At the age of twelve, she became pregnant.

Even in her ninth month of pregnancy, she went to the fields to help her family.

Radio that teaches girls their rights

100 kilometers from the hut where Tamara lives, a radio station called Radio Mzati broadcasts to help girls continue studying and invites them to share their problems.

Among the issues they sometimes discuss is forced child marriage.

“The main reason this happens is poverty,” the presenter says.

“When girls learn about their rights, they know they can ask for help to avoid forced marriage. This is part of our mission, to get girls to talk and share their stories and know that there is another way.”

“I hope my son finishes school”

Tamara gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

“She is at home and living well with her little boy. Her family is very happy about his arrival,” says Caleb Ngombo, head of the NGO People Serving Girls at Risk. “She has the support of the community and her aunt, but the real work begins now. “It would be better for her to go back to school, but she also has to support her child.”

Tamara says that her greatest hope is that her son, Prince, will be able to finish his studies.