Jangamo: 14-year-old forced to “marry” to pay off mother’s debt

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Jangamo: 14-year-old forced to “marry” to pay off mother’s debt

1:07 CAT | 22 Jun 2020

Photo: O País

A teenager who dreamed of becoming a doctor saw her life turned inside out when she was only 14 years old. The mother “gave her on a tray” to pay off her debt to a 34-year-old who wanted to marry her.

It all started when the mother went to neighbouring South Africa and met a young man who confided to her that he needed a wife, to which she replied that she had a daughter who, however, was still a minor.

The young man volunteered to assume all schooling expenses until the girl grew up, and always sent money for household expenses, without however revealing the true origin of his wealth.

But, when the mother died, the teenager’s worst nightmare began. The grandmother, mother of the teenager’s mother, aware of the facts, told her that she should go home, since the young man had already spent a lot of money on her. The teenager refused, but the pact signed between the mother and the young man gradually took effect and the girl, although reluctant, was taken to the young man’s home and became his wife.

The teenager, left with no alternative, had to “marry” the young man to pay off her mother’s debt. In the first year of this relationship, the teenager, at the time only 14 years of age, became pregnant and couldn’t go to school.

“I asked him if I could go to school, because I’m still of school age, but he said that I shouldn’t study, so I suggested that he open a business for me but even that he didn’t do. He wanted me to stay at home all the time,” the girl said, weeping over her memories of everything that had happened.

The teenager says she went through difficult times at the hands of her husband, and decided to home. But, on her return home, she didn’t get any support from her family.

”I suffered a lot. The man was much older than me. I didn’t want to be with him, but I had nowhere to go when I left there. I came home, but my family turned against me and said I should go home,” the teenager told ‘O País’.

Since no one accepted her at home, she had to go to live with her grandmother on her father’s side, and try to recover from the trauma she had suffered. She intends to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, but she now she also faces the challenge of taking care of her young child, while still only young herself.

This year alone, the police in Jangamo (Inhambane province) have recorded 13 cases of girls under the age of 18 living in marital unions with adults. According to Maria Fernando of the Department for the Protection of Women and Children at the District Police Command in Jangamo, nine of these were returned to their families and criminal proceedings are currently underway to hold accountable those responsible. Two people have already been detained and are awaiting trial.

But not everyone was as lucky as this teenager. In Jangamo, one 16-year-old girl died in childbirth. “We had rescued the girl, but she was pregnant. She gave birth within days, but it was a very complicated delivery on account of her youth. Things got complicated and, 36 hours later, she died, leaving the baby o her grandmother,” Ernesto Nhambir of Social Action in the district revealed.

Jangamo district has registered the most cases of premature marriage in all of Inhambane province, with about 800 girls in the last five years rescued from their “marital” homes.

By Hugo Firmino

Source: O País