Ethiopia: Forced marriages ruining lives of rural girls in Arsi

Chaltu Jeylu will never forget the day she was 'married'. As the 13-year-old made her way to school, her would-be suitor and 14 of his friends dragged her off the road. Forcibly married for two months, she suffered repeated rape. Chaltu is from Arsi, some 250 km from the capital, Addis Ababa, in eastern Ethiopia. Abduction of girls for marriage is widespread in this corner of Ethiopia. More than half of 'marriages' that take place in Arsi region are through abduction, sources said.