By making ending child marriage their priority, these four TED speakers have inspired us. Watch them thell their story.
Memory Banday: a warrior's cry against child marriage
Memory Banda’s life took a divergent path from her sister’s. When her sister reached puberty, she was sent to a traditional “initiation camp” that teaches girls “how to sexually please a man.” She got pregnant there — at age 11.
Banda, however, refused to go. Instead, she organised others and asked her community’s leader to issue a bylaw that no girl should be forced to marry before turning 18. She pushed on to the national level with incredible results for girls across Malawi.
Kakenya Ntaiya, the girl who demanded school, not marriage
“When I was five years old, I found out that I was engaged to be married as soon as I reached puberty.”
Watch Kakenya tell the story of how she convinced her father to delay her marriage and let her go to school and how, now, she helps Maasai girls do the same.
Zarif Sahin on breaking the cycle of child marriage
“After the wedding, I wasn’t allowed out anymore. My role as a wife was to obey my husband, cook, clean and serve for him and my family.”
Listen to Zarif talk about life as a child bride and how she fought for her daughters’ right to choose when and whom to marry.
Mabel van Oranje, Girls Not Brides
“This is the day when Ghulam’s youth ended and she lost her freedom.”
Watch Mabel van Oranje talk about child marriage’s devastating impact on girls and how we can end the practice in a generation.