He would have killed me

“I was given in marriage at 17, my husband was 35. I didn’t love him, he was mean to me. He was beating me, forcing me to sleep with him. He was hurting me a lot.

Until I said to myself, enough is enough. I couldn’t go on with him. That is why I decided to leave. If I had stayed with him, he would have killed me.

I will overcome what happened. I want to work. I want to live far away from here. I want to forget but it is unforgettable, even if I leave the country. I can’t forget what happened, but maybe I can feel a bit safe.”

Titi is one of the many unlucky girls who was forced into child marriage as a teenager. Around 60% of women between the ages of 20-24 in Chad were given out in marriage before they turned 18.

The government has made efforts with the enactment of a new law in 2015 that was aimed at banning child marriage by 2020, but the practice still continues. Chad continues to record one of the highest rates in the world.