'Monsoon brides': Extreme weather fuels Pakistan child marriages

Shamila (left) and Salma Zameer, monsoon brides who were married underage look on at Khan Muhammad Mallah village, Dadu district in Sindh province. - AFP

DADU, Pakistan: As monsoon rains were about to break over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money, a decision their parents made to help the family survive the threat of floods.

"I was happy to hear I was getting married... I thought my life would become easier," Shamila told AFP after her wedding to a man twice her age in hope of a more prosperous life.