13, and a bride
In Dosso, Niger, a 13-year-old girl has just found out that she will be married in a few days' time. This short film by Plan International tells her story.
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Her mother was worried that her daughter would have a child out of wedlock and that no one would then marry her. So she accepted a dowry worth 200 USD, paid in CFA francs, from a local market trader in his mid-20s.
Plan International works with girls, their parents and communities to explain the consequences of child marriage. It stresses in particular the danger to a girl's health if she gives birth before her body is ready.
The organisation believes that sending girls to school is essential to reducing child marriage. It funds 200 schools in Niger that focus on educating girls and ending early and forced marriage.