The human rights organization Unicef arranged a “Youth Takeover” of their Twitter account in honor of International Day of the African Child (#DAC2015), an annual event dedicated to raising awareness to the plight of impoverished African children. This year, the focus is on the exploitation of young girls in parts of Africa where child marriage is still practiced.
Unicef’s Twitter account was taken over by five women, all of whom have been directly affected by the practice. One of them, ‘Jennifer’, whose name has been changed to protect her identity,* is a survivor of the cruel practice. At age 13, she was kidnapped by the Ugandan militia group Lord’s Resistance Army, where she was forcibly “married” to one of the group’s commanding officers. She eventually escaped, and now works as an advocate against the marriages of young African girls.
She shared her story for the first time on Twitter.
When I was 13, I was abducted from my home by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) along with my siblings #youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
The LRA came in the middle of the night. They releasing four of my older sisters and kept two of us cause we were younger #youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
She recalls being forced to march for a week to an LRA hideout in Kitgum, a municipality in Northern Uganda.
They forced us to march for 1 week to #Kitgum, Uganda, where we lived for a year. Then Kony ordered the captain to take us to #Sudan.
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
Here she refers to LRA leader Joseph Kony. Readers may recall Kony was the subject of a viral video documentary released in 2012 by the activism group Invisible Children.
Kony’s militia has been known to abduct children and indoctrinate them into his cult of personality, turning some into vicious child soldiers.
‘Jennifer’ goes on to recount being given as a bride to an LRA commander.
In #Sudan I was given to a Commander and he became my husband. I was just 14yrs old. #endchildmarriage #youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
I had one daughter with the commander. #endchildmarriage
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
After speaking of the hardships she endured living with the militia group, she recounts her daring escape.
Four mothers and I started planning to escape with our children. we waited for the right opportunity #YouthTakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
She and the other mothers waited until the dry season, when livestock keepers would move their cattle from one location to another. “We knew that the cattle would cover our tracks, so that the LRA could not find us.” She said.
The journey was long and perilous. Had the women been caught, the consequences would have been severe.
We traveled for four days, with very little food, only stopping at night to feed our children #Youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
With some help from the Congo UN soldiers we escaped to Kinshasa, and from there we were flown to Uganda. #youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
What she says next is absolutely heartbreaking:
When I got home, I found my siblings, they told me my mother and father had been killed #YouthTakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
‘Jennifer’ hopes to build a new life in Uganda and learn new skills so she can support her daughter.
With help of an organization, I'm learning how to make an income. I want to be a fashion designer and a tailor #YouthTakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
I want to one day support my daughter, and take her to a good school #EndChildMarriage #YouthTakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
I hope this story helps other women like me. Now I have dreams and hopes for the future. #EndChildMarriage #YouthTakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
There is, perhaps, a little cosmic justice for ‘Jennifer’:
I heard my husband the Commander, died in 2014 in the Central African Republic #youthtakeover
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 16, 2015
Child marriage is an accepted custom in countries like Uganda and Somalia. Organizations like Unicef and Girls Not Brides have long spoken out against the practice. The entire Youth Takeover event, including the amazing stories from four more activists, can be found on Unicef’s official Twitter page. The hashtag #EndChildMarriageNOW has been trending in support of Unicef’s aims.
*Please note: the women pictured with the blurred face is not ‘Jennifer’, and is only used to represent the subject.
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