Ethiopian Girls Flee Early Marraiges

This article was published on October 8, 2009 by Hanna Win. In the US, women have a 1 in 3,418 chance of dying due to complications of pregnancy, childbirth, and unsafe abortions compared to a 1 in 7 chance in Ethiopia. Many young girls in Ethiopia are forced to get married as early as 14 years old and many before they even have a menstrual cycle. About one half of young women in Ethiopia are married by 15 years old, and almost two thirds by 18. Many girls recently began fleeing their homes and going to Biruh Tesfa ("Bright Future"), an informal school for Ethiopian runaways. Mentors from Biruh Tesfa go to the young ladies' employers and ask if they be allowed to participate in the program.
There is a story of a young girl, 14 years old, who had recently lost her big brother. Her mother was trying to force her to marry. She never met the boy, but she saw him in her town. The young girl wanted to finish school and was grieving for her lost brother. She did not want to marry so she left with her aunt and uncle. She goes to Biruh Tesfa for a few hours every day and meets with other young women between 13 and 19 who have also fled early marriage.
Early marriage can lead to many problems, as the article explains, including: higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, abuse, isolation, and long-term psychological trauma due to forced sex.
This article is very interesting to me. I have heard stories of planned marriages where the women do not meet their husband until they marry, but for young girls to be forced to marry before puberty and against their will makes me sick. After reading about all of the problems that early marriage and early pregnancy can lead to, I feel for the girls who could not flee. I am proud of the women who stood up for themselves and left because they knew that this life was not for them. Many of the examples in the article explained that the girls wanted to get an education and not be forced to marry and quit school. It is good to see that these girls are not afraid to make their own decisions. Although it would be very difficult to leave your family behind, the futures for these young ladies is still bright and open.

Reference: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/091007/ethiopian-girls-flee-early-marriages