On 14 October 2022, the first workshop on early and forced marriages took place in the district of Chibuto, Mozambique with 6 girls from the same district who are or were in a situation of Premature Union. Their ages range from 15 to 22 years old. This workshop was facilitated by Palmira Velasco, Jéssica Chitlhango, and Vanessa Inhamússua.
The objectives of the workshop were:
- To strengthen the creation of a group of girls in a situation of premature union or who have been in a situation of premature union, in the district of Chibuto;
- To know the life histories of girls in a premature union or who have already been in a premature union, in the district of Chibuto;
- Delineate the ways in which girls can act through the AMMM in Chibuto district;
- Administer baseline questionnaires to girls in Chibuto district.
In addition to sharing their life stories, the session allowed them all to outline the next steps. They will hold workshops in their districts, where they will support and strengthen other girls who have been in a situation of the premature union. These girls will have the support of AMMM, which will strengthen them with training for the inclusion of girls and stories of their lives in the media, in a participatory manner, which includes conducting interviews and other forms of information sharing by girls. It is intended that these workshops will be held every fortnight and that they will be open, safe, and trusted spaces for the girls to share their experiences and influence behavior change and prevention of early unions.
