How a teenage mother in Cameroon triumphed over child marriage and sexual violence in the midst of war

MAROUA, Cameroon – In Maroua, in the Far North region of Cameroon, Aissatou* was forced into marriage at just 14 years old, her dreams of schooling shattered.

Fleeing the violence of armed groups in their village near the border with Nigeria, her family had left their home, their possessions and everything they knew behind them. With few resources and no way to earn a living, Aïssatou's parents saw no choice but to marry off their daughter to a wealthier man 40 years her senior, who they hoped would take care of from her when they no longer could.

She had to abandon her studies and was confined to her village, which was also frequently attacked. Isolated from any support, Aissatou was soon attacked and raped by one of the armed groups.

“They took away my dignity, leaving me broken and alone,” she told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “They took everything: my books, my dreams, my childhood.”

When she discovered she was pregnant, her husband's family kicked her out to fend for herself on the streets – still a child but soon to be a mother.

Ensuring crucial sexual and reproductive health care

Aissatou struggled to support herself and had to sell peanuts to earn a living, before being referred to a program run by UNFPA, which she described as “transformative”.

With funding from the governments of Norway and the United States of America, the program has been supporting displaced people in conflict-affected areas of northern Cameroon who are in urgent need of protection from gender-based violence and services since July 2023. sexual and reproductive health, especially women and girls.

Aissatou benefited from prenatal and postnatal examinations, clinical treatment for the rape she had suffered and assistance with the cesarean delivery. She also received a “baby box” filled with essential supplies for her newborn son.

In addition to supporting survivors like Aissatou, UNFPA distributed emergency reproductive health kits to eight health facilities in the Far North region. These contain supplies such as antiseptic soap and wipes, sterile gloves, umbilical cord clamps and maternal health medications to prevent postpartum hemorrhage and treat infections, helping to ensure a safe delivery , even in settings lacking appropriate medical facilities.

Also included are supplies of family planning and emergency contraception, which reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies – a pressing concern for women and girls, especially during travel – and treatments for sexually transmitted infections and Rape care kits provide essential medical support to survivors of sexual violence. .

Midwives on the move

More than 30 UNFPA-supported midwives are also deployed to health facilities and mobile health units in hard-to-reach areas of the Far North of Cameroon, along with a team of community health workers providing maternal and neonatal care.

Units can screen for sexually transmitted infections and refer patients to specialized centers for HIV and AIDS testing and clinical management of rape. Survivors of gender-based violence have access to eight UNFPA-supported safe spaces, where they can seek psychosocial support and be referred for further care.

The project is implemented by local partners, women-led organizations and decentralized health services and aims to support over 100,000 women and girls in eight districts of Mayo Tsanaga, Mayo Kani, Mayo Danay and Logone divisions -and-Chari.

Now 16 years old, Aissatou is standing, her health and well-being restored. “In the midst of despair, they became my lifeline,” she said of health workers. “They provided not only medical care, but also a safe space to heal and hope again. »

*Name changed for privacy and protection reasons

This is part of a series of stories illustrating progress since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, which committed to ensuring gender equality and the right to sexual and reproductive health for all . Learn more.