From Regret to Resolve: Artur’s Journey to Protect Children from Child Marriage
Artur became an active agent for change in his community. He now supports efforts to prevent early unions and promote the protection of children’s rights.
Milange, Zambezia - “My daughter got married at 15. I did not know it was wrong, and I felt that I had failed as a father.”
With these words, Artur Polasse, a participant in the Positive Parenting group and a leader of the Community Child Protection Committee in a village in the Milange district of Zambezia province, reflects on a painful chapter in his life and the profound transformation that followed his participation in Positive Parenting sessions.
Artur explains that the sessions gave him new knowledge and fundamentally changed the way he relates to his children. Today, he makes time to be present with them, showing affection, offering hugs, and providing support with their schoolwork. These are practices he previously did not value, simply because he did not understand their importance for children’s emotional and social development.
Recalling the most difficult moment, Artur says:
“My daughter got married at 15. I did not know it was wrong, and I felt that I had failed as a father. When ICDP (International Child Development Programme) came to my house with Social Action, I thought I would receive food assistance. Instead, they told me that my daughter was no longer with her grandmother, had stopped studying, and was living in another man’s house and suffering. Everything stopped. I could not think. After many meetings and with the involvement of the police, I managed to bring my daughter back. I learned so much about how to protect my children.”
My daughter got married at 15. I did not know it was wrong. After numerous meetings and with the assistance of the police, I successfully reunited with my daughter. I learned so much about how to protect my children.
Through psychosocial support sessions and home visits carried out by the International Child Development Programme in coordination with Social Action, as well as his participation in Positive Parenting sessions, Artur came to understand that allowing the marriage of children under the age of 18 is a crime. Once reintegrated into her family, his daughter received support to return to school, along with psychological and psychosocial assistance, and joined capoeira and self-help groups.
Motivated by this new awareness, Artur became an active agent for change in his community. He now supports efforts to prevent early unions and promote the protection of children’s rights. As an activist, he conducts awareness talks at the local health unit for parents who are not yet part of the Positive Parenting groups, sharing his experience and encouraging more caring and protective parenting practices.
Recognized as an influential figure in the community, Artur went a step further by making part of his own land available for the construction of a house where Community Child Protection Committee sessions are now held. This gesture reflects not only his strong commitment to the cause but also his determination to ensure a safer and more hopeful future for the children in his community.
The positive parenting sessions are implemented by the International Child Development Programme in partnership with UNICEF, with support from the Global Programme to End Child Marriage. The initiative aims to prevent and respond to child marriage by promoting non-violent, nurturing relationships between parents and children, and by empowering families to create safer, more supportive environments for girls and boys.
The Global Programme to End Child Marriage is generously supported by the Governments of Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Zonta International.
