Ann – The Girl Who Got Married At 13 Years

Ann (not real name) was married at the age of 13. She attributes it to the poor relationship with her single mother. Her marriage was not planned. Ann was simply trafficked to her marriage to a 33-year-old man who was waiting in Nairobi. The man who was already a farther of two from his previous marriage gave Ann the responsibility of taking care of his two children aged 10 and 8 years.

Ann had her first child at the age of 15 and the second at the age of 17. She is now 18 taking care of 4 children. All along Ann was undergoing gender based violence. Her husband beat her up at any small provocation. She was beaten for cooking bad food, not washing the husband’s clothes well, not cooking on time and she was always beaten for behaving like a child. “Her mother in law advised her to persevere because a woman must be beaten” At The age of 18, Ann has experienced a broken arm, a blue eye and a broken tooth.

Ann was among the women who participated the women rights meeting that took place at Elukhari village. When she went back home she shared with her husband what the women had been taught about GBU and that earned a thorough beating that left her with a big bruise on her left eye. However, this time round Ann acted differently. She reported the incidence at Butula police station and her husband was arrested to the shock of his family. How could she reported her husband?

The man had to put it in writing before the police never to hit Ann again. Ann on the other hand has refused to go back to the abusive marriage and is instead running a small business selling “Mandazi” to a school in her village. Ann wants to go back to school and complete her primary course.