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The girl who said 'no' to marriage

Monday, February 22, 2016

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Balkissa Chaibou dreamed of becoming a doctor, but when she was 12 she was shocked to learn she had been promised as a bride to her cousin. She decided to fight for her rights - even if that meant taking her own family to court.

"I came from school at around 18:00, and Mum called me," Balkissa Chaibou recalls.

"She pointed to a group of visitors and said of one of them, 'He is the one who will marry you.'

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The girl who said 'no' to marriage

Balkissa Chaibou dreamed of becoming a doctor, but when she was 12 she was shocked to learn she had been promised as a bride to her cousin. She decided to fight for her rights - even if that meant taking her own family to court.