Shahnaz

age 22, married at 16 in bangladesh

Shahnaz was married at 16 to a man twice her age. Her husband and parents-in-law were dissatisfied with the amount of dowry they received from her father so they abused her and tried to drive her out of the house.

Once, the father-in-law cut her hand with a kitchen knife, and she needed nine stitches to stop the bleeding.

Her husband had adulterous relationships, and when she complained he raped her. He forbade her to use birth control pills and she bore two children against her will. "I might have left this house had I not been a mother," she said wistfully, "After leaving this house I would have resumed getting my education, and by this time I would have been able to [get a job and] stand on my own two feet."