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Niger

Inside the Uphill Battle to Stop Early Marriage for Girls in Niger

JENNIFER KOONS

A middle-aged man passes a 12-year-old on the street. He stops her, tells her she’s beautiful and says he wants to make her his wife. The girl lowers her eyes in deference but shakes her head “no.” The man persists, following her home. Her father, who looks roughly the same age as this mystery man, readily accepts the proposal. The girl respects the decision. A year later, her new husband returns to the home of the girl’s parents to tell them she has just died giving birth to their first child.

The end.

Applause fills the makeshift amphitheater as the actors – four teenage girls, two dressed as men – take a bow. They are the authors of the unexpectedly provocative skit, which they’ve just performed for parents, teachers, curious neighbors, the local imam and the mayor of their small village near Niger’s border with Mali.

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