By Rorisang Modiba
- A mother fled South Sudan after her 14-year-old daughter was forced to marry against her wishes.
- The teen is now pregnant and her mother has gone to Kenya to help her, bringing her other daughters to safety.
A mother who ran away from home to protect her young daughter from marriage has now gone to Kenya to help her pregnant 14-year-old.
Deborah Kuir Yach had to hide in a safe house after she tried to stop her teenager, Athiak Dau Riak, from being married off.
But the marriage still went ahead when the family received a big payment for the girl.
Yach left her home in Juba, South Sudan, fearing her husband and family would hurt her for speaking up against the marriage.
Now that Athiak is expecting a baby, her mother has gone to Nairobi to be with her. In their Dinka culture, daughters must give birth at their mum’s home.
The young girl is staying with family members in Kenya. Her mother wants to help her through the birth and look after the baby.
Athiak thinks her mother was wrong to fight against the marriage.
She believes Yach brought shame on their family by opposing it.
After the wedding, Yach’s husband married another woman. Yach has now left him for good and taken her younger daughters to Kenya to keep them safe from forced marriage too.
Her brother, who also fought against the marriage, is helping Yach as she tries to protect her children’s rights.
They tried to cancel the marriage and bring Athiak back home, but nothing has worked so far.
Pictured above: Athiak Dau Riak.
Image source: @Shadaya_Knight
