Janet, faced with child marriage,

“Both my parents are small-scale farmers. My father always complained about having all of us in school at the same time. He said that he did not have money for me to continue with school, and the only option I had was to get married. My dream is to become a doctor” says Janet, one of the eight children. She was 15 at the time.

The pressure to get married as a child was becoming unbearable. Janet’s father had already forced two of her sisters to drop out of school and get married. Janet understood the harmful effects of child marriage. One of her sisters returned, discarded by her older husband, after only a few months. “Because she was still young, her marriage did not work out, and she came back home,” Janet said.

There was never peace at home. Her mother had left the home a few years earlier, and her father remarried immediately. “Our stepmother treated us so harshly. She teamed up with our father, and she was in support of me getting married saying that there was no money to keep me in school. At the time I was never given money for lunch, but amidst all those challenges, I kept on going to school.”

Before long, Janet’s father informed her that there was no more money for school fees and that she could no longer attend her school. She cried all night long. Her father took her to her aunt’s house in the city and left her there. She didn’t know why. Her cousin told her that she was to be married off, and her aunt’s house was closer to potential husbands.

An escape plan

Janet considered her situation and tried to form a plan. Janet was the chairperson of her school’s child parliament. She had learned that in Uganda, over 40% of girls are married before their 18th birthday, but she also learned that in her country child marriage is illegal. Janet knew her rights. She decided she would reach out for help.

First, she called her mother. “I only find comfort when my mother is around, because she gives me emotional support, and she encourages me all the time to stay focused on education.” Janet’s mother knew right away that her daughter was in danger. Her mother told her to leave immediately. She also sent Janet money for a motorbike ride away from there. Janet escaped.

Next, Janet asked her teacher Patrick for help. Patrick is part of a World Vision-supported community advocacy group, Citizen Voice and Action. The group organised a safe place for Janet to stay and meet with her father. They told him that they would make sure he was prosecuted if he persisted. “But,” Janet said, “he stood his ground that he did not have money to keep me in school.”

Patrick advocated on Janet’s behalf with the school to waive the fees. “Luckily enough, the school gave me a chance to study.” Janet would be allowed to continue her education. She had escaped child marriage.

The future is bright for Janet

Janet is determined to have a bright future and wants to stay in school amidst the challenges around her. She’s doing well in her classes. She encourages her peers to resist the pressure to drop out of school. She shares her experience with others in hopes that they, too, can have the courage to say no to child marriage.

“She encourages her friends to study,” Patrick says. He’s certain that she’ll become someone important in the future. “She will come and help the community.”

At World Vision, we believe Janet’s already had an outsized impact on our world. She’s an inspiration to us all.

Education reduces child marriage

Amazing things happen when girls are able to stay in school, including a drastic reduction in the risk of child marriage. At World Vision, we believe all girls should have access to education. According to the Global Education Monitoring Report, 12 years of education for every girl would reduce child marriage globally by 64%. Each year of secondary school reduces a girl’s likelihood of being forced into child marriage by 5% or more. Providing access to safe, quality education for girls is one of the most effective ways to reduce child marriage.

Schools can also offer girls like Janet a safe place to learn about their rights and about local laws against child marriage. In Uganda, child marriage has been illegal nationwide for over 20 years, but it persists because it is often rooted in harmful social norms and beliefs. Should a girl find herself, like Janet, facing child marriage, the classroom can offer a safe place for her to learn about community resources that can help.

Children’s groups, such as the child parliament that Janet participated in, can empower children and teach children about their rights: the right to worship, the right to education, the right to play and be a child. It’s critical that girls learn about the detriments of child marriage and their right to say “no” in a safe environment.

It’s time to end child marriage now

Child marriage is a violation of human rights, yet every day children just like Janet are forced to marry against their will. While boys are also affected by this practice, more than 90% are girls. Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. Every two seconds a girl’s childhood, dreams, and education are cut short. This is unjust.