‘I refused this marriage’: Meet West African women who fought for their right to education

In West Africa, many girls will be missing when the new school term begins because they will have been married during the holidays.

Child marriage can be both a cause and a consequence of girls’ lack of access to education. They may drop out of school because they are forced to marry, or they may be married off because they do not have the opportunity to attend school.

According to UNICEF, West and Central Africa have the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world. In this region, four out of 10 girls are married before the age of 18.

Absétou* from Côte d’Ivoire, Aubierge from Benin and Bibata from Burkina Faso all dreamt of continuing their education. Through resistance, activism, and resilience, they tell their stories.

“From the moment I refused to get married, I was beaten everyday”