Child marriage, education and empowerment in Uganda

At 15, Agnes dropped out of school, forced by her parents to marry an unemployed 17-year-old who was unable to take care of her.

Soon, Agnes became pregnant, but lost the baby after a difficult delivery. Malnourished and physically abused, she persevered, never giving up on the dream of one day resuming her studies.

“I wanted to continue going to school, so my family would stop struggling,” she told Capacity4dev during the European Development Days. “I had seen educated people in our community, and they were doing very well.”

Indeed, according to UNFPA estimates, if all girls in Sub-Saharan Africa had access to secondary school, child marriage rates would decrease by 64% and early births by 59. According to the same report, there is a strong correlation between access to sexual and reproductive health and economic inequality.

Agnes on advocating against child marriage in Uganda:

In Uganda, where Agnes is from, nearly one in four girls becomes pregnant before reaching adulthood – the rate is among the highest in Africa. On top of that, half of all women marry before the age of 18, and one in five by the time they’re 15. This, according to UNFPA, can have a significant impact on their ability to finish school.

The way up

Whenever she could, Agnes snuck out of the house to attend school. During one of the escapades, she joined a local youth group associated with World Vision, the humanitarian aid, development and advocacy organisation.

With World Vision’s help, Agnes received advice on her situation and support for her tuition fees. “My counsellor told me to be persistent, confident and determined because that’s the only way you can achieve what you want,” she said.

After passing secondary school exams, she entered university. During this time, she continued to endure physical abuse from her husband, and miscarried her second pregnancy as a result.

Uganda has an encouraging legal framework, but there is still a disconnect between implementation and policy, which means women like Agnes have poor access to education, economic decision making, and health services.

Cultural beliefs can also hinder women’s empowerment. Agnes’ mother repeatedly sent her back to her husband, and left when Agnes gave birth after becoming pregnant for the third time.

“Beyond struggling at school, I faced other challenges in meeting the basic needs when my mother abandoned my siblings and my grandmothers,” Agnes said. “I had to divide my time between school and work so that I could get some money to buy food, medication, clothing for the family, and pay my siblings’ school fees.”

Her relentless determination helped her rise above the difficulties. Today, she is a 23-year-old university graduate and an advocate for girls and women’s rights. She's left her husband shortly before starting university, and continues to face social stigma for speaking out against child marriage.

Nevertheless, she stands by her decision. “I’m sharing my story because I want people to learn from it,” she told us.

As a young leader for ending violence against children with World Vision, Agnes runs educational talks on children’s rights and supports other girls with counselling and coaching programmes. Childhood education, ending domestic violence and violence against children are topics she regularly tackles in her everyday work.

“I’m encouraging every girl, every young person and every child to be confident, determined and focused in achieving their goals,” she said. “You’re the only one who knows what you want, and the only one who can achieve it.”

This article was written by Aylin Elci, with input from the Capacity4dev Team. Image © Marc Hofer/UNESCO