This article was contributed by Salmey Bebert, of UNICEF Niger and was originally published by Mashable here.
Samia's* story is far too common in my country, Niger.
When Samia was in second grade, her chance at a fair and healthy childhood was shattered.
Her father decided his daughter would get married. So 10-year-old Samia married a man in his 30s, marking the beginning of a three-year-long living nightmare.
Samia was repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted by her husband. When she wasn't being abused, her mother-in-law forced her to work. Often she was left to sleep outside, alone, without being fed.
At age 14, Samia became pregnant but delivered a stillborn baby. After spending days in hospital, she was determined to start a new life. Once back with her husband, Samia secretly planted and sold groundnuts, eventually scraping together $10. One night she left the house, bought a bus ticket and traveled to her aunt's village.
Samia never returned.
Child marriage deprives girls of their futures https://t.co/vWQD2cPWHf#FightUnfairpic.twitter.com/CASdpCJLfG
— UNICEF Moçambique (@UNICEF_Moz) December 27, 2015
Now 18 years old, she is a member of a women's support group for former child brides and survivors of domestic violence.
She recently explained, "My goal now is to become a tailor, have a sewing machine and sewing kit and work for myself, truly be autonomous. When a woman doesn't have any financial resources, she depends on a man. I don't want ever again to have to depend on a man, neither my father nor a husband."
Niger has the highest rate of child marriage globally, with three quarters of all girls in the country married before their 18th birthdays. But this is only a fraction of the 15 million girls who become child brides every year.
Today, as we celebrate the rights of girls and women on International Women's Day, UNICEF and Bridal Musings are sharing a new reenactment video to shine a spotlight on Samia and the 15 million girls who will be married as children this year.
We hope that by casting a bride who may not seem at risk of child marriage, and replicating a high-end "Western" wedding, we will provoke conversations on equal rights for girls everywhere.
We all agree this video is deeply disturbing, yet 41,000 girls under 18 will be married today — in real life.
Today also marks a turning point in global efforts to end child marriage, with the launch of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, which will reach more than 6 million girls in 12 countries.
The program will focus on preventing girls from getting married and helping those who have already been wed — girls like Samia, who also deserve a fair chance in life.
*Samia’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.