16 year old Brenda at school. © Chris Kakunta / CARE.Sixteen-year-old Brenda (not her real name) had refused to marry: an act of defiance which had resulted in her removal from school. In response to this defiance, her sister duped her into going to the market at the busy border town of Kazungula. There, she was forcibly taken by a 29-year-old man whom she did not know, and unwillingly became his wife.
On that fateful night, she cried to herself as the stranger repeatedly raped her. The following morning she ran away from the house and told her sister what had happened, but was chased away and told that running from the marriage would curse their family.
After four months she could not endure the pain any longer. She decided to flee to her parents in Bwiketo, Musokotwane, an area where CARE is implementing a training program for teachers and parents in human rights, counseling and voluntary HIV testing.
The organisation has also been conducting educational awareness programs in the area, including the use of sports to attract children who are not in school. Brenda enjoys playing sports, and had begun playing football with friends at school. This prompted a teacher to ask her why she was not in school. After telling her story, Brenda pledged to attend school if given the opportunity, and she was subsequently accepted as a student.
Fortunately for Brenda, she did not conceive during her forced marriage, and did not contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In addition to now attending school, she is an active member of the school’s AIDS club and encourages other girls to concentrate on school. She says that her experience in forced marriage is what motivates her to work hard in school.
While Brenda’s story is encouraging, many stories of other girls in Zambia do not have happy endings. In most rural parts of the country, the dropout rate of girls – especially in the upper grades – is high, and many are forced to marry as soon as they come of age. Early marriages are thought to be a major contributor to higher HIV infection rates, and women and girls are disproportionately affected.
