I am Proud of Myself
Published May 12, 2009 @ 01:13PM PT
My education gave me power over my life. There was no time when I needed this more than during the events that took place in April 2002. My boyfriend forced me to have sex without my consent. When this was discovered at my Church, the elders took the two of us and said that we should now stay together as man and wife. To make matters worse, my mother even went on to say she would no longer stay with me as she suspected I was pregnant. I felt so unwanted. I talked to a woman in the community who later explained to my mother about the consequences I would face if I stayed with such a guy.
Not to marry him was the best decision I made in my life because otherwise I would not have managed to be the person I am today. I am glad that all the people who were trying to force me to get married now know that I have a better role to play in the community. Forced marriage can affect a girl a lot; maybe she will be very young, she won't be prepared, and she won't be able to achieve her goals. If a man has paid lobola (brideprice) for his wife, then the family expects that wife to have a lot of children. They don't think about how she is going to support those children.
I have a role to play in helping children who face the same problems. When I move around the district, I hear people saying, "Oh you are the girl who talks to the school children". They praise me and I feel so happy about that. I am gaining community respect, and I am proud to be myself.
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