13-year-old gives birth to a child at 14-year-old widowhood exposes the terrible child marriage custom in Africa and Ethiopia

A woman in Ethiopia became a "child bride" at the age of 10 at the behest of her parents. She gave birth to a child at the age of 13 and became a widow at the age of 14. The 38-year-old woman, who now lives in London, England, has called for a boycott of the practice.

The woman, named Alemtsahye Gebrekidan, ended her childhood at the age of 10 and became the bride of a 16-year-old boy she had never met. At the age of 13, Alemtsahye gave birth to a son, but when she was 14, her husband was killed in the Ethiopian civil war, and Alemtsahye has since become a widow.

In fact, this phenomenon is not uncommon. Data from the World Health Organization shows that more than 14 million girls under the age of 15 are forced to marry each year around the world, mainly in India, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.

The harm caused by child marriage is huge. These girls ended their childhood prematurely, left school, and were extremely vulnerable to sexual harm and infection, and many girls died in childbirth.

Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Population Fund, said: "Child marriage is a serious violation of human rights and a global network of customs that impedes girls 'education, health and long-term development.

Alemtsahye now lives alone in London and works for Girls Not Brides, a charity that helps Ethiopian women who were once child brides.