The Story of Muna and Her Dream to Become a Nurse

“All I knew about marriage was the white dress. I was shocked by married life,” says Muna*, a 16-year-old Syrian girl in Za’atari refugee camp.

Muna’s father suffered from a medical condition that prevented him from working, her mother was not working, and her older brother was trying to do some daily jobs that were barely sufficient to cover the household expenses. Yet Muna was determined to finish her education and realize her dream to become a nurse.

Adding to the many challenges that Muna and her family have already gone through starting by fleeing their country because of war and seeking refuge in Jordan, Muna had to get married to an older man when she turned 16 due to her family’s difficult financial status. 

Marriage has turned Muna’s life upside down. She had to stop going to school because her new husband did not allow her, and suddenly she had to transition from childhood to adulthood. Describing Muna’s plight at the time, her mother bitterly reflects: “Muna lost all her rights overnight. The right to be a child, to have an education, to have an opinion.”

Day after day, her situation and the way she was treated at home worsened. She felt more desperate than ever, until she managed to leave her husband’s home, and eventually got divorced in the same year she got married. Like other children in her case, she didn’t know what getting married really implied.

Yet after she divorced, Muna was very reluctant to go back to school and felt she lost her chance to realize her dream. UNICEF staff visited Muna and talked to her and her family, reassuring and informing her of the support services she could access. These included psychosocial support services and education services provided by UNICEF in Makani center to help her heal and catch up on her education.

Since then Muna has been able to catch up on her education, and regained her motivation to finish her studies. “I learned through this experience that financial challenges are not the worst challenges a human can face. I agreed with my family that I will do my best to excel in school and realize my dream of becoming a nurse. Then I can later help them and give them the assistance that they need,” says Muna. 

While Muna still finds it difficult to share her story, she insists on the importance of spreading awareness through personal experiences such as hers for putting an end to child marriage. She is also advocating for education as a solution for child marriage. “I know how important education is now. It is like a personal shield that offers so much protection.  When girls are educated, they are better prepared to make their own choices”.

Her story also had a great impact on her mother, who now states strong opinions against this practice, “marriage is not for children but for adults.  What matters is that girls should get their education. The way I see it now is that the law must change and should in no circumstance allow for marriage of girls under 18,” she concludes.

Thanks to the generous support of the Government of Luxembourg and La Roca Village DO GOOD programme The Bicester Collection, UNICEF continues to provide the victims of child marriage with the help they need including access to legal, psychosocial and health services, and facilitates their return to school.

*Name changed to protect identity.