Child Marriage in Southeast Asia

The colorful local culture and dramatic landscapes of the area are a tourist attraction, but behind this vista of beauty is the little known custom of hai pu, which translates to “pull wife”.

“I was on my way home from school. Together with three men, this boy caught me and tied me up. They carried me to the boy’s house and locked me in a small room for three days. His parents brought alcohol and money to my brother’s house. My brother accepted the price and I became the boy’s wife.”

This is the story of 12-year-old May, a member of the Hmong ethnic group from northern Vietnam’s mountainous Ha Giang province.

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