Noura’s Experience: Going From School to Marriage and Back Again
Noura, 15 years old, happy to have escaped a forced marriage ©UNICEF/ F.Coula / 2023
Noura, a 15-year-old girl, resides in the Central African refugee camp of Mbile, Kentzou subdivision in the East region of Cameroon, alongside her mother, grandmother, and three younger sisters. At the age of 6, Noura and her grandmother fled their war-torn country and sought refuge in Cameroon, settling in the Mbile refugee camp, while leaving her parents and sisters behind. After a few months, her parents and sisters managed to find safety in another camp, Gado, located approximately 310 km away in the eastern region of Cameroon. Upon receiving the news that her entire family had successfully escaped the war and were now secure, Noura held onto the hope of reuniting with them. However, this hope was tragically shattered by the passing of her father, prompting her mother and younger sisters to join Noura and her grandmother two years later.
Despite the reunion being the answer to her prayer, she had to confront the uncertainty of life in the camp alongside her sick mother and elderly grandmother for over seven years. Nonetheless, with the assistance of these women, despite their circumstances, she possessed an extraordinary drive to consistently attend school and assist them in searching for firewood to sell in order to cover her school fees, resulting in consistently good academic performance. “Our family is extremely impoverished. Ever since our father passed away and we relocated here, I always believed that by attending school, I would have the opportunity to secure employment and aid us all,” she expressed. However, this determination to succeed proved insufficient as the burden of an increasingly challenging life, coupled with the weight of her grandmother’s advanced age and her mother’s declining health, made it impossible to afford Noura’s school fees any longer. This desperate situation compelled the 32-year-old woman to reluctantly agree to marry off her 14-year-old daughter to a man over 30 years old. “He made promises to my mother and grandmother, who were no longer capable of strenuous labor, that he would assist them in establishing a small business, which would in turn benefit them and my younger sisters. Thus, my mother believed that this was the sole means of escaping poverty and safeguarding our family, despite my firm refusal. Now she realizes her mistake, she truly does,” Noura revealed.
The teenager, who was compelled to discontinue her education, understood that her passion for science, math, and reading had come to an end. Additionally, her aspiration of becoming a nurse was no longer attainable. “I experienced immense sadness; I shed tears and lost my appetite. However, I had to honor my family’s decision,” she expressed. The marriage ceremony took place in the mosque following an agreement between her uncle, who also resides in the camp, the Imam, and her new spouse. Reluctantly leaving behind her family, friends, and school to reside with her husband in a nearby village, this period, lasting approximately two weeks, was, as she described it, “the most dreadful time of my life.” Compelled to endure excruciatingly painful sexual encounters, she managed to escape to her family’s home when her husband was absent. Regrettably, her family coerced her into returning home. “I could no longer endure this torment. I had to flee from our own residence and seek refuge with a woman from our community because my uncle insisted on my return due to the dowry that had been paid to them,” she told to UNICEF. Upon learning about an organization dedicated to combating early marriages, she approached the members of the Community-based Child Protection Network (RECOPE) following an enlightening session. “I distinctly recall that when I heard them discussing girls’ rights, I realized in that moment that there was hope for me,” she told to UNICEF.
Noura surrounded by her mother, her grandmother, and the members of RECOPE
From that point forward, Alice, the president of the RECOPE group, along with Angèle, a social worker from the Association for Assistance to Development (ASAD), engaged in mediation with Noura’s family, the Imam, and the village chief. Their argument was based on the fact that this particular type of marriage was prohibited by law and that the young girl had the right to pursue her education without any hindrance. As a result, the marriage was dissolved by Imam Aboubakar in front of the entire community. “It was through the case of this young girl that I gained enlightenment, and ever since, I have joined RECOPE. I continue to raise awareness within the mosque, and I have successfully prevented the marriage celebrations of six girls under the age of 18 in this community,” reassured the Imam, who also holds the position of president in the Association of 14,000 refugees in the Mbile camp.
Noura with Alice, president of the RECOPE group
In Cameroon, many girls are unable to pursue their education due to forced marriages. The Eastern region has a particularly high rate of girls married before the age of 18, with 56% affected. The displacement of people from the Central African Republic further compounds the issue of child protection. To address this problem, UNICEF has established community-based mechanisms in six communes of the East Region, with the support of KOICA. These mechanisms include child protection networks and Enrollment and Attendance Monitoring Committees, which enable young girls to continue their studies. Community leaders have played a crucial role in mobilizing communities to support these interventions. Additionally, a training program has been developed to combat child marriage, aligned with the national multisectoral action plan for the abandonment of child marriage in Cameroon. The program aims to inspire commitment from parliamentarians, community leaders, and clerics to end child marriage and will feed into the national platform for the coordination of actors for the abandonment of child marriages.
In Cameroon, many girls are unable to pursue their education due to forced marriages. The Eastern region has a particularly high rate of girls married before the age of 18, with 56% affected. The displacement of people from the Central African Republic further compounds the issue of child protection. To address this problem, UNICEF has established community-based mechanisms in six communes of the East Region, with the support of KOICA. These mechanisms include child protection networks and Enrollment and Attendance Monitoring Committees, which enable young girls to continue their studies. Community leaders have played a crucial role in mobilizing communities to support these interventions. Additionally, a training program has been developed to combat child marriage, aligned with the national multisectoral action plan for the abandonment of child marriage in Cameroon. The program aims to inspire commitment from parliamentarians, community leaders, and clerics to end child marriage and will feed into the national platform for the coordination of actors for the abandonment of child marriages.
