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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The girls of Hatibandha: See life through their eyes

When you're 13, you have your whole life ahead of you – school, university, your career, family and your friends. Life is full of potential and your future is vast. But when you're 13 and living in Hatibandha, Bangladesh life looks different, especially for girls.

Life isn't easy for girls living in Hatibandha. Located in northern Bangladesh, reaching secondary schools and health clinics is difficult. The walk can take hours and during monsoon season, the commute is only possible by boat.

As a result, the majority of girls will drop out of elementary school and marry while they're young. Lacking a basic education, these girls have little chance at becoming independent women and breaking the cycle of poverty in their families and community. 

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Silent suffering

The psychosocial impact of war, HIV and other high-risk  situations on girls and boys in West and Central Africa.

The regions of West and Central Africa are home to ever-growing numbers of suffering children. These are children who live on the streets, who are trafficked and exploited as cheap labour, neglected or sexually abused, or who are forced into combat in a civil war.

To learn more about the impact of these difficult circumstances on children, Plan’s West African Regional Office, in partnership with Family Health International, initiated a five-country study entitled ‘Psychosocial support to children in difficult circumstances’.

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Welcome to the community of Hatibandha, Bangladesh

Imagine living in a community where only 7% of the students attending secondary school are girls. Now try to imagine living in a community where 90% of girls are married before the age of 18.

It’s a reality that 8,900 girls, men, women and their children living in the rural community of Hatibandha face every day.

“We are ready to do anything to improve the lives of our children,” says Hasena, mother of five children. “We need support to build our house and get educational materials for our children.”

That’s why we’re excited to introduce you to our newest community you can sponsor, Hatibandha, Bangladesh. The lives of thousands of children and their families in Hatibandha will change forever, thanks to the generous support of donors like you!

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Keeping mothers and their newborns alive

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 800 women die every day due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Only 1% of these deaths occur in high-income countries.

That means that 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. But the majority of these deaths are preventable through simple, cost-effective interventions.

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Plan alumni share the secret of their success

More than 6,000 former sponsored children from Zimbabwe have formed a network to share their skills and experience with the next generation.

“Through Plan’s educational and sponsorship programme, we managed to get the best investment in life – education,” says Edwin Sithole, now a trained journalist and co-ordinator of the Plan Alumni Network. “We discovered our passion, pursued our dreams and achieved a lot, hence our desire to give back to the community.”

The group came together as a result of Plan Zimbabwe’s silver jubilee celebration in September 2011. The 6,000 members are all former sponsored children with a wide range of expertise and professional and technical qualifications which they aim to pass on to children, especially those from disadvantaged communities.

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Hard work, long hours and little pay

This research on tobacco farms in Malawi reveals that child labourers, some as young as 5, are suffering severe physical symptoms from absorbing up to the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day through their skin.

As the tobacco industry continues to shift its production to developing countries, more vulnerable children are being exposed to these hazardous working conditions.

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