As the African drums
beat faster and the dancers work themselves into a
frenzy it is obvious Wube-Enat has no idea of the
implications and repercussions associated with this,
her special day. It is her wedding. She is ten years
old. Although child marriages are illegal in
Ethiopia traditions die hard in the remote northern
region of Amhara. We were given unprecedented access
to a story that is commonplace across some parts of
Africa but is usually kept firmly behind closed
doors.
We met Simegne who is 12-years-old and 8-months
pregnant. She said she would rather be at school
than preparing for motherhood. Over half of the
girls in Amhara are married before they are 15. The
vast majority of them will have sex before they have
even reached puberty and many will get pregnant as
soon as it is physically possible. The problem is
their bodies are not fully formed making it highly
unlikely they will have a trouble-free labour.
Hardly any of these girls will have access to a
trained health worker and will have the baby at
home. Another girl, Achawache, said she was 15 when
she spent 12 days in labour. Eventually the baby was
born dead and she was left with a fistula. The term
simply means 'hole' and is caused by prolonged
pressure of the baby's head against the pelvis
during obstructed labour, leaving the girl
incontinent. Like in almost every case like this,
she is deserted by her husband and ostracised by her
community because of her foul smell.
