In Iraq, Elaf had two teenage sisters drop out of school after marrying. “Both sisters wish they had not married at an early age,” she said. “My dream was being a pharmacist, so when my father decided that I should get married at age 15, I refused.” Now 26, Elaf is a pharmacy student.

This was Poni Helen’s experience in South Sudan. “My parents wanted me to marry when I got pregnant at 16. I defied them because I wanted to finish school. But they did not support me, so I worked and sent myself to school. Now, I am 23 and taking up law while raising my six-year-old son.”

“My mother got married quite early in life, and though she completed her higher education she was not permitted to work after marriage,” said Farah Faizah in Bangladesh. “This left a lasting impact on her mental and physical well-being.” Today, Ms. Faizah works for the United Nations. “If I was married early, I don’t think I could have gotten the same opportunities.”

“In my home town, many girls are forced into early marriage. Their parents tend to think that girls have no future if they do not marry,” Hayat Outemma told UNFPA in Morocco. “I am very lucky I could finish school. I am now a teacher and a social activist, working to change mindsets about girls’ education and child marriage.”

“At age 15, I dropped out of school to get married to an army sergeant who was 20 years older than me,” said Chipasha, now a girls’ advocate in Zambia. “My husband abused me... even when I was pregnant with his child.” But then she began visiting a safe space supported by the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage. “With the help of our mentor, I finally moved out of my abusive marriage, together with my baby.”

Jada, who was born and raised in the United States, was threatened with forced child marriage at the age of 12. She sought help from the rights group the Tahirih Justice Center, and found safety in the home of a relative. “I have accomplished amazing things not having married early,” said Jada, now 17. “I followed my dreams of being a dancer.”

“I’ve seen married young girls leading an unhappy life,” said Rukaiyah, in Indonesia. She endured years of ridicule when she refused to marry young. “I turned a deaf ear when friends mocked me, calling me ‘old virgin’.” Instead, she poured her energy into supporting women’s rights and building her own chip-making business. Today, she has a large staff and a happy family. “I believe that women need to be able to develop their talents and seize every opportunity for their future,” she said.