Stitching the Future
Married at 12, and a mother of three, a Yemeni girl rebuilds her life with a tailoring business
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Amina* was only 12 years old when her father arranged a marriage with a rich man, 13 years her senior.
“I was just a child, and I was fascinated by the idea that they were buying me a lot of clothes and gold (for the marriage),” said Amina, a 19-year-old mother of three children living in a marginalized community in northern Yemen.
Contrary to her father’s hope that tying the knot would bring prosperity to the family and help her get out of the impoverished community, Amina’s marriage soon became an ordeal.
“I became pregnant shortly after the marriage. During my labour, I had complications and suffered from severe bleeding. I lost consciousness and stayed in the ICU for three days. When I woke up, (the doctors) said they saved me from death,” said Amina, who gave birth to her second child a year later at the age of 14 insisted by her husband despite the doctor’s advice to postpone pregnancy. She then had her third child at the age of 17.
“I stopped going to school after the fifth grade. I wanted to continue but my husband banned me from attending school saying it would be a shame for a woman to go out,” said Amina. Her husband then turned violent and started hitting and verbally abusing her.
When he attempted to kill Amina by choking her, she asked for a divorce, but the husband refused to formalize it and moved to a different city with another wife.
After separation, Amina started working as a cleaner at a nearby hospital, where she earned 104,000 Yemeni riyals (around US$ 200) per month, barely enough to support her three children and herself. After a couple of months, however, her husband came to her home and left with all her children when she was running errands outside, according to Amina. Since then, Amina has not been able to see her children for three years as her husband prevented her from seeing them, she said.
“I was psychologically depressed and did not want to do anything after all my children were gone,” said Amina, adding that she was still breastfeeding the youngest one who was only six months old.
Amina’s story is all too common in Yemen where 30 percent of girls marry before they turn the age of 18. The protracted conflict, economic collapse, food insecurity and lack of access to basic services and sources of livelihood have compounded the existing vulnerability of women and girls whose families often resort to negative coping strategies.
Child marriage often results in early pregnancy and school dropouts and those who marry before 18 are less likely to receive maternal care compared to those who marry at a later stage. In addition, pregnancy-related deaths are known to be a leading cause of mortality for both married and unmarried girls between the ages of 15 and 19, according to the Yemen Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2022-2023.
Empowerment through skills training
Despite the challenges, Amina did not lose hope. She returned to school and started living with her parents and siblings. When her school’s principal nominated her to join life-skills and vocational training, she jumped at the opportunity.
The training, supported by UNICEF, offers life-skills sessions that strengthen social and behavioural skills to build confidence and resilience. They were followed by vocational training on sewing skills and a business management course. She completed the training sessions spanning over two months and received a sewing machine and materials to start her business.
“My life has changed. I was afraid of meeting people before but now I am more confident and independent. I can now provide all my needs without depending on others,” said Amina.
One of the small rooms made of stones and mud was turned into her atelier, where she designs, stitches and produces colourful dresses for women and girls. By word of mouth, she soon became popular among her neighbours who started placing constant orders, which helped her earn around 20,000 Yemeni riyals per month. She is now the sole breadwinner of the whole family, including her parents, two sisters and eight brothers.
“I sold 25 dresses last month and I am now working on eight new ones. I love sewing and I want to become a famous tailor and an instructor in the future because this is my passion. The self-confidence I earned through sewing is what makes me keep going,” said Amina, adding, “I want to complete my education and collect money to file a case in the court so that one day I can bring back my children.”
Amina says her father, who witnessed her experience, no longer wants to marry off his other children when they are too young. “I am encouraging many girls here to complete their studies. I never want them to marry at an early age and go through what I went through,” said Amina.
This project was supported by the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage. UNICEF and UNFPA, through their partners, reached 42,220 girls with life-skills trainings, supported 2,064 girls to be enrolled or re-enrolled in primary and secondary education, and provided 394 girls with vocational and economic empowerment support across Yemen in 2023.
*Name was changed to protect the identity of the interviewee
