“Veronica was just three years old when her parents [...] “booked” her marriage to secure a dowry of a few cattle to feed their starving family. [...] The groom, in his 40s, returned just over a decade later to claim his [...] 14-year-old bride. That day, Veronica remembers cowering behind her mother as she fought hard to keep her at home. But the groom threatened to return with backup and arms and so, like an increasing number of minors in South Sudan, the little girl was married.” —Independent

 

As females ourselves, it appalled us to learn about how girls like Veronica were being wedded off at such a young age. What gives people the right to do so? How can she survive the marriage or the pregnancy? What about her future and her education? Yet, when putting ourselves in their parents’ shoes, we see how devastating, hopeless and heartbreaking the situation may be, to the point of having to give up their child solely for the sake of survival. Still, we believe this is an inhumane trauma that no one should experience.

 

It particularly struck us, as female students who have never faced barriers to our education, how these girls would not receive an education that could open doors to many opportunities. In our piece, the viewer sees through the point of view of a South Sudanese girl being wedded off, opening a wardrobe. The dirty and old school uniform symbolises the discarding of their education. In contrast, the bright, elegant wedding dress symbolises how this is their “future”. Though the dress appears promising, even glamorous, the life that they will live is not.