Cameroon: Survivors of early and forced marriages regain independence and build power

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As a young girl in Cameroon, Elizabeth had big dreams for her future: she planned to finish secondary school, continue on to high school and potentially even university before eventually finding a job. Elizabeth (whose name has been changed for safety reasons) described herself then as “full of life”—ready to continue her personal journey and not at all thinking about the possibility of marriage. However, Elizabeth’s life changed forever when, at the age of 13, she was forced into a marriage with a 47-year-old man.

Every year, at least 12 million girls around the world are married before they reach the age of 18, and in Cameroon, more than one out of every three women face intimate partner violence.  In Elizabeth’s case, she was forced into a marriage because her father wanted to access dowry money. Shortly after moving in with her husband, Elizabeth became pregnant with her first child at the age of 14. Not long afterward, her husband began abusing her.

Like Elizabeth, Greta (whose name has also been changed for safety reasons) was forced into a marriage at the age of 13, to a man her father owed money to.  To resist the arrangement, Greta ran away from her family home and upon her return three days later, her would-be husband decided to end their planned marriage. However, Greta’s father beat her severely and permanently disowned her, leaving her in the care of her grandparents.

Over a year later, Greta had mostly recovered from the traumatic experience; she was in her own words, “as happy as all the other girls” her age. But her grandparents soon announced that they’d accepted the marriage proposal of another older man in town on her behalf. Unwilling to enter again into another forced arrangement, Greta attempted to run away to her aunt’s house, but she was raped and robbed by a taxi driver while fleeing. Left on the side of the road after being assaulted, Greta was taken in by a passerby who brought her to ALVF-EN.

The Cameroon-based Association for Combating Violence against Women or Association de Lutte Contre les Violences Faites aux Femmes-Extreme Nord (ALVF-EN), a Fòs Feminista partner, provides counseling, psychosocial, psychological and legal support, functional literacy, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or have been thrown out of) early or forced marriages.

Aissa Doumara leads an educational session for a group of girls and young women, standing in front of posters and tables filled with educational materials.

After connecting with ALVF-EN following her assault, Greta was accompanied by a member of the support team to a local hospital, where she was tested for potential sexually transmitted infections and a pregnancy resulting from the incident. ALVF-EN support staff also informed Greta of the consequences of child marriage, which, as of 2016 is illegal in Cameroon, but the law is not regularly enforced. Alongside ALVF-EN staff, Greta facilitated conversations with her grandparents in an attempt to reconcile their relationship.  

When Greta’s grandparents still refused to let her come home, and Greta was forced to live in a series of temporary homes and refuge centers, ALVF-EN organized a meeting with the departmental delegate for the Promotion of Women and Family in Cameroon, who summoned Greta’s grandparents to assist in her protection. Greta’s family finally understood the impossible situation she was in due to her forced marriages and accepted her back into the family, but only after ALVF-EN and the authorities intervened. “My grandparents’ refusal was not in my favor, [and] I felt rejected and afraid,” Greta said. “But [ALVF-EN] held meetings with them and made them understand that girls have rights that must be respected.”

Similar to Greta , Elizabeth connected to ALVF-EN following the birth of her sixth child, where she accessed the organization’s care center, therapy groups, and awareness-building classes. Through these offerings, she learned more about how child marriage violates girls’ rights and is illegal in the country. Armed with this knowledge and support from ALVF-EN, Elizabeth convinced her husband to start paying for their children’s school fees, and she started a career of her own to achieve financial independence from her husband.

“Thanks to the support of ALVF-EN and Fòs Feminista, I’m now involved in farming and small trade,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth’s and Greta’s stories represent the tragically common circumstances of young women and girls growing up in Cameroon, but they are also emblematic of the growing movement for greater independence and autonomy among survivors of child marriage and gender-based violence. After ALVF-EN’s supported her in returning home to her grandparents, Greta noticed significant changes in the way her community addressed child marriage. 

“Today, I’m a blossoming young girl in the community and I talk about my story … I’m a model of resistance and my story serves as a testimony,” Greta said. “My family no longer forces me, and my grandmother talks to me and advises me. They’ve changed a lot and have become more understanding.”

Using the skills and knowledge she gained by engaging with ALVF-EN, Elizabeth founded a local group that campaigns against early and forced marriages, centering the rights and autonomy of young women and girls. She says that the actions of groups like her own and ALVF-EN have become better understood and more well-respected in recent years. “My father saw the consequences of child marriage with my niece, who was abandoned and infected by her husband with a serious sexually transmitted infection. He declares that he will never again force a girl into this practice and says that he will respect the rights of girls and women from now on,” Elizabeth said. “He’s very happy that I’ve fought to become an activist for the cause, an autonomous and dynamic woman.”

Activists, mostly women and young girls, assemble in front of a building during a regional youth forum on gender-based violence and women’s sexual and reproductive rights.

“ALVF-EN continues to assist and guide me so that I can be financially independent and learn a trade,” Greta said. “I’m so grateful to the Association for all its support, which has saved many girls like me from abuse and forced marriage.” 

Having accessed the services and support from ALVF-EN, both Elizabeth and Greta are now living independent lives in which they spread awareness and cultivate the power of young women and girls in their communities.