Underage Tanzanian girls married off for cows
- It’s illegal for underage girls to marry in Tanzania.
- Some parents in Tanzanian villages still marry off daughters as young as 12 or 13 years old.
- In exchange, families receive cows, which they often consider more valuable than their daughters.
- The new husbands also take financial responsibility for their brides from their parents.
- Local authorities and activists often break up weddings to prevent child marriages.
- The rescued ‘brides’ are taken to a shelter, where they receive schooling.
- Activists are trying to convince parents that, with an education, their daughters will be more valuable to them than a few cows.
In Tanzania, it’s illegal for underage girls to marry.
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Nevertheless, some families marry off daughters as young as 12 or 13 years old.
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Early marriages are advantageous for parents, as responsibility for taking care of their daughters is passed to their new husbands.
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The brides’ family also receives cows in exchange. Cows are a staple of Tanzanian village life, and some parents consider them more valuable than their own daughters.
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Local authorities and activists often interrupt weddings involving underage girls to prevent child marriages.
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The rescued ‘brides’ are taken to a shelter, where they receive schooling. For many, it’s the first time in their lives they’ve been in a classroom.
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Families who hope to marry off their daughters early don’t send them to school, as they believe an educated wife is likely to be opinionated and disobedient – so she won’t be worth as many cows.
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Sixteen-year-old Leokodia escaped her husband after years of abuse.
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Numerous parents and grooms have either been imprisoned or are on the run.
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Paulo, a local activist, is working to prevent this kind of tragic situation.
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His mission is to convince parents that their daughters can be more useful to them when educated.
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With a good education, the girls can get good jobs instead of being traded for a few cows when young.
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His own daughter is a good example of this. She received an education and now works and helps her father financially.
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The husband and parents of underage brides face up to 30 years in prison.
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For a more in depth look at the Tanzania’s child-bride tradition, watch Bride Trade on RTD.