The legal age of marriage in Ethiopia is 18. But in the Amhara region where Taketu lives, the average age of marriage is 14.7 years. “I was 14 when I got married,“ Taketu says. ”On my wedding day, I remember thinking about my school and that I wouldn’t be able to continue my education. I didn’t know the person I was going to marry until the day of the wedding. I saw him all dressed up and thought: ‘I guess that’s the groom.’”

First published in the December 17, 2019, 7:06 p.m. edition

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