Dignity rebuilt.

Name: Amira (not her real name)
Age: 14 years

Amira was a young girl, eager to learn and play with her friends. But her parents had different plans for her. They arranged for her to be married to a much older man, a stranger who lived in a different village. When Amira learned of the wedding, she was devasted, but felt powerless to stop the wedding.
The day of the wedding arrived, and Amira was forced to go through the ceremony. She was taken to her husband’s home, where she was expected to become a wife and mother at just 14 years old. In her marriage, Amira endures physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. A concerned neighbor alerted the police about the condition under which Amira was living in and reported the matter to the village leadership who took the matter to police.

Amira’s husband was arrested and charged with aggravated trafficking in children for the purpose of child marriage and sexual exploitation. With the help of ITU, working with Amira’s Parents and the authorities, the marriage was annulled. Amira was rescued and given shelter services, received counselling and was enrolled back to school, where she is thriving! She is the information prefect at school and is using her position and platform to raise awareness about child marriages in her community . She encourages her fellow students to inform authorities incase they encounter such experiences.

With ITU’s interventions, Amira’s parents came to understand the harm they had caused and inflicted on their daughter and promised to support Amira’s well being and support. They have become community watch men who have taken on the role of sensitizing other parents about the dangers of child marriage.
Amira’s story shows that even in the face of adversity, there is always hope and dignity can be restored for a bright future. With support and empowerment, young people like Amira can overcome the trauma of child marriage and reclaim their childhood and rights!

Apio Chantal 16yrs from Omayokume village, Nebbi district was initially defiled by a man only known to her as Stephen that got her pregnant. She went home not knowing she was pregnant but later signs started showing and her father realized. he told her to introduce Stephen to the family, but when she went to Okebu village where Stephen was staying, she was told by the young brother that all his relatives had left for Kinyara for casual work. This made her return to her village in Omayokume but she was afraid of reaching home.

When Mungu Jakissa a nearby villager met her, he decided to take advantage of her vulnerability. took her to his place where he started having sex with her. The parents of Mungu Jakissa got to know of it, they arrested the victim and dragged her to police after finding her knickers claiming that she was causing their son to commit incest. They alerted the father of the victim who came, and they had a brief meeting which decided that both be banished from the village. The victim was referred to inspire sand thrive Uganda for rehabilitation and psychosocial support, she gave birth to a baby boy one month old and enrolled into vocational skilling to empower her. She was also supported to reunify and reintegrate with her family.