Françoise

"I am 17 years old. On January 31th, my grandfather sent me to another village to attend his brothers’ funeral. Actually, this was a lie, instead he had organized a forced marriage for me. I was brought to the home of the man I had never met before and whom I was supposed to marry. What I feared most happened in his bed. I was crying day and night. I did not know him, did not want a husband, did not want him. What I wanted was to go back to school. On February 19th I managed to escape. I went straight to the gendarmerie. The gendarmes referred me to the local social affairs office who have organized protection for me."