Forced marriage is against your right as a child and I commend you for your refusal yet, and do not give up on your self. Your situation is indeed a worrying one but could have a way out of it, depending on the situations surrounding your life.

Lets explore some of these situations;-

Assuming you were in a day School, not far from where your parents stay, you could explain your challenge to one of your teachers or head teacher and request them to talk to your parents about the benefits of them leaving you in school.

In another situation, that you have relatives with girl children in school, try to talk to them and request their assistance to talk to your parents, so they could change your parent’s attitudes.

Let’s not also forget the possible reasons for them to force you into marriage. May be your parents feel like you are not studying hard enough, that probably you’re too jumpy with boys or are you too indisciplined.  Some parents still think that marriage is the best place to correct indiscipline, or the only success for academically challenged girls. Should this be true, you as a person need to do better in your behavior, character, academics and personal discipline and way of communicating to your parents so that they can treasure you more as an asset or investment for their better lives as well in future rather then force you into marriage.

In a situation that your parents are just being abusive and do not see value in you going to school, you could visit the Child and Family Protection Desk at the nearest police post in your home area, so they could better help you all as a family. This Desk has friendly officers [not necessarily Police officers] that have special skills in helping families with challenges relating to abuse. Both forced marriage and chasing you from home can be classified as child abuse and neglect.

So my dear troubled youth, try to assess the circumstances surrounding your challenge and seek guidance from a social worker, counselor, religious leaders, other relatives, teachers and head teacher, organizations or police for help.

Other Random Questions

• Dear Counselor, I am a girl studying in one of the secondary days schools in Kampala. On my way to and from school, I get bad touches from men and at school, I get bad touches from boys. I really hate these bad touches, what can I do to avoid the bad touches from the boys and men? (1)
• Dear Counselor, I am a girl of 15 but with small hips and a flat chest. My friends all have big hips and breasts and tell me that I must have sex in order to get “Vitamin S” which will help me grow hips and breasts. I am normal? What can I do to be like them? (3)