"A 15-year-old Syrian girl is campaigning against child marriage, offering drawing and acting classes to her peers at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan to stop them from making the life-changing decision so young.
Over the past few years at the camp, which houses 80,000 refugees — mostly Syrians fleeing the civil war — Omaima has seen many of her schoolmates vanish, forced into marriage by their parents.
When one of her best friends was married off before she turned 14, Omaima decided she had to do something.
"I could see their pain, so I started out just offering simple advice — that early marriage is bad for you and for your mental and physical health. But I soon realised that advice was not enough," said.
Determined to stop other girls marrying young, Omaima sought out information on the risks of early marriage and started organising activities such as drawing, lectures, plays and singing to highlight its dangers.
"Their bodies are not ready for childbirth, and emotionally they are not ready to be wives and mothers," she said.
- A mother is like a school:
Most girls who marry young don't finish their education, so they're not able to educate their children properly. If they are illiterate, it's more likely the children will be illiterate too.
"A mother is like a school, so if she is prepared then her children will be prepared," she says.
The minimum age of marriage in Jordan is set at 18 years, but religious judges (Sharia) may give the green light to marriages involving children as young as 15. Local sheikhs also often conduct unofficial marriages involving girls who are 14 and under, which are illegal under the country's legislation.
In pre-war Syria, an average of 13% of all marriages involved someone below the age of 18, UNHCR reports. Among Syrian refugees living in Jordan, this rate had risen to 32% by the first quarter of 2014.
- Challenges and dangers:
Campaigning against child marriage doesn't go without any risk or challenge.
"Often I and others will go with the girls to speak to their families, and they tell us it's none of our business. Usually they are very polite, but fathers especially can sometimes be strict. I find it easier to convince the mothers, and then they can influence their husbands," Omaima said.
Activists and volunteers at the camp provide counselling to everyone who wants to marry before turning 18. But if the child is 15 years old and all parties agree, there is nothing they can do.
Despite these challenges, Omaima says she has persuaded lots of future child brides and their families to give up on early marriage.
"One of my friends got engaged and told me she would soon get married and never see us again," she said.
"She wanted to get married, but my friends and I got together and told her she was making a mistake and should continue her education. Eventually we persuaded her to ask her family to call off the engagement and now she is back in school with us."
- Malala, an inspiration:
Working together with local activists, aid workers and encouraged by her parents, Omaima says she wants to keep up the fight against early marriage and violence against women.
"My dad tells me that I started something good and I should continue what I am doing," she said. "I want to go to university and study to be a lawyer so that I can defend the rights of women and girls."
Her inspiration is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani-born Nobel prize laureate relentlessly campaigns for female education in defiance of the Taliban, who shot her in the head in 2012.
"My mum brought me Malala's book, so I've read all about her life and work. She is a great person and very inspirational," Omaima said.
"I would love to meet her one day, and I wish all the girls in the world could be like Malala."
Editors' Note: Mashable conducted this interview via a representative from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR".
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Fuente: mashable.com
