How I Changed from Being a Child Marriage Supporter to a Girls’ Rights Advocate
It a journey of regret, self-discovery, and paying the price of ignorance. That is how Imam Adam Shaban Abdallah, a Majengo Mapya village religious leader,describes his transformation. Adam had allowed his daughter to get married at the age of fourteen, and as a member of the marriage board in Chemba District, he said before 2019 he never really took the time to check if the bride was of marrying age. When Adam’s daughter
finished standard seven at the age of fourteen,the family had already secured a husband for her against her will. At the time Adam was working in Dar es Salaam when he received a call about somebody who is interested in marrying his daughter. What enticed Adam, was the lucrative bride price, which was about (Tshs. 1,500,000 (USD 645). He immediately returned home and talked to his daughter about the marriage proposal, but she rightly refused.
