Esther was forced to marry an old man

Esther from Zimbabwe was eleven years old when the elders in the church she belonged to forced her to marry an old man. Child marriage is the theme of the first UN International Day of the Girl Child, on October 11. A perfect day to share Esther’s story:
"Both my parents died when I was two. My sister and I stayed on in Mum and Dad’s house and our uncles took care of us. My brothers moved to Harare to work. I used to go to church with my uncles every Sunday. It’s the tradition in their church to marry off young girls to older men in the congregation. Since I had been a member of the church since I was little, I thought it was normal, and the only right thing to do. Nonetheless, I thought that it was something that only happened to other people. But one
Sunday… the old men at church said it was my turn.
I panicked and tried to run away, but the adults trapped me. I screamed and cried but no-one cared. They threw me in a car and drove away. After a while we arrived at a house. They said that my husband lived there and
dropped me off. I didn’t dare to do anything other than stay. He slept with me and I was afraid I would get pregnant. How could I, an elevenyear-old, take care of a child? I was worried and cried. I thought about running away all the time, but the house was out in the bush."
Thankfully, Esther was saved by Zimbabwean organization Girl Child Network, who managed to help her escape when her ’husband‘ was at work.
"No girl should be put through that! Says Esther. I can imagine getting married when I’m about 28. But first I’m going to finish school and start working to help girls."