Ethiopia: Early marriage thwarts girls’ potential

Twelve-year old Tizalem stands against the outer wall of her parents’ hut in her village in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. She is getting ready for the neighbourhood hairdresser who will be arriving shortly to braid her hair. It is the day before Tizalem’s wedding to 24-year-old Gegahun. In Ethiopia, and in parts of East Africa, West Africa and South Asia, marriage at the age of seven or eight is not uncommon, making Tizalem older than many brides.