Heavy rains wash away childhoods

Looking bleak: Shamila (left) and another monsoon bride who were married underage looking on at Khan Muhammad Mallah village in Dadu district, Sindh province. — AFP

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 said after her wedding to a man twice her age in hope of a more prosperous life.