Forced to leave their home country, Myanmar, many Rohingya Muslim women find themselves stranded in nearby Thailand where smuggler fees are often exorbitant, and are forced into another tough and soul-crushing decision – whether they should sell themselves into marrying a complete stranger in exchange for supposed “freedom.”
“I was allowed to call my parents, and they said that if I was willing, it would be better for all the family,” says Shahidah Yunus, 22. “I understood what I must do.”
“Hundreds, if not thousands, of women and girls have been forced, sold or arranged for marriage via these trafficking corridors since 2012,” said activist Matthew Smith. “For some families, it’s viewed as an imperative, as a survival mechanism.”