A silent crisis is unfolding in Lesotho, one that is robbing countless girls of their childhood, their education, and their chance to dream freely about the future.
This crisis wears many faces, but its most visible scars are the rising rates of child marriage and Early and Unintended Pregnancies (EUP).
These are not just numbers buried in government reports. They are real, lived experiences of girls like ‘Matumelo and Rethabile (not their real names) from the rugged mountains of Thaba-Tseka.
These stories are not isolated tragedies. They reflect a devastating national trend shaped by forces bigger than any single girl: economic hardship that pushes families to see child marriage as a way of survival, Gender-based violence (GBV) that normalises power imbalances and strips girls of agency, and the lack of sexual and reproductive health information and services that leaves young people unprepared to protect themselves.
When a girl is married off too soon or forced into motherhood before she is ready, her fundamental human rights are violated. She loses her right to education, her right to health, her right to choose when and whom to marry, and ultimately, her right to a childhood.
Dreams deferred: The escape and the stress
For ‘Matumelo (not her real name), now 21, marriage was not a celebration of love, but a desperate flight from abuse. Married at just 15 in 2021 to a man eight years her senior, her journey began with brutal corporal punishment.
She recounted the night her aunt and uncle found her missing: “They beat me so much, even in the face. They used sjambok, even insulted and asked me dehumanising questions like, how many times did I have sex with my then boyfriend, who is my husband today,” she narrated, her voice shaking with residual trauma.
After the brutal beating and expulsion from her aunt’s home, ‘Matumelo was left with nowhere to go. She told her then-boyfriend (now husband) about her situation, who, despite recognising her young age, decided he “had no choice but to marry her.” ‘Matumelo agreed, believing it was the only solution.
She was forced to abandon her education, despite the government paying her fees for Form C. After failing the exams, a failure she attributes to the stress imposed by her new life, her husband refused to allow her to return to school.
“I think I failed Form C because I am married now, and the person who was stressing me out was my husband. I could not enjoy being me anymore. I had to forget about my swimming hobby because my husband did not like that, saying I am adulterous,” she recounted.
Now a mother to a one-and-a-half-year-old child, her dream of becoming a nurse remains stalled.
“If it were according to my choice, I would not have gotten married, and even now, I would have never even thought of having a baby. I would be in school working hard to become a nurse,” she lamented.
The regret: Economic hardship and disillusionment
Just two years later, Rethabile (not her real name), 17, finds herself trapped in a similar spiral of regret.
Having dropped out of high school in Grade 8 because her parents, her mother being the sole breadwinner, could not afford the fees, she sought escape through an early relationship.
She married her 27-year-old boyfriend in January. “I got married because I just wanted to leave with my boyfriend, who is 27 years old,” she explained.
Now four months pregnant, she is back home while her husband is in South Africa seeking employment. The reality of adult responsibility has hit hard.
“I am no longer happy being married. It is only now that I realise that the decision to get married was wrong. I wish I had someone who had talked about getting married at a young age, as well as having children.”
Rethabile expressed deep boredom and disappointment that her husband is not supporting her or preparing for the new baby.
She relies on her father’s irregular income from selling wool and mohair. The burden of motherhood is already weighing on her.
“My advice to other girls would be that they should not get married because marriage takes away their rights as children,” she advises, “They now have to behave like adults and think for the family, like what is going to be for dinner. I do not even have that time to play.”
The data behind the distress
These personal disasters are reflected in sobering national statistics compiled by the Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) 2023–24.
According to the survey, 19 percent of girls in Lesotho are affected by child marriage. A staggering 16 percent of women aged 25–49 were married by their 18th birthday.
The study shows, 17 percent of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have already begun childbearing.
This includes alarming cases of girls under 15, which UNFPA’s former representative, Mr Innocent Modisaotsile, noted as a “significant number.”
A Nurse Midwife in Linakeng Karabelo Mpiti reported 20 EUP cases since January, including two 13-year-olds.
According to LDHS, early pregnancy and child marriage account for a staggering 37 percent of school dropouts, cementing a vicious cycle of poverty.
A call for bold institutional action
The UNFPA is actively supporting multiple initiatives to combat this crisis, including financial support to organisations like Help Lesotho.
Critically, the organisation is also backing the Ministry of Education and Training in developing the crucial Prevention and Management Learner Pregnancy Policy, a direct response to the data confirming that EUP and child marriage are key factors driving girls out of school.
UNFPA Representative John Mosoti passionately argues that the crisis is fundamentally one of violence and institutional failure.
He emphasises that addressing the issue requires a multi-pronged approach that goes beyond simply trying to prevent child marriage and early and unintended pregnancies.
“If they’re having sex, we need to have that information out there,” Mosoti stated, underscoring the necessity of providing comprehensive sexuality education, easy access to contraceptives and condoms, and psychosocial support for those who become pregnant.
The evidence is clear: when girls are given the power of informed choice and kept in school, they marry later.
The consensus among experts and activists is that communities, families, and leaders must take bold steps to protect girls’ rights and ensure access to education and support services.
A shared, enduring desire to return to school is a powerful testament to the potential being lost. Their survival story is a final call for bold action to protect every girl in Lesotho.
Summary
- economic hardship that pushes families to see child marriage as a way of survival, Gender-based violence (GBV) that normalises power imbalances and strips girls of agency, and the lack of sexual and reproductive health information and services that leaves young people unprepared to protect themselves.
- She loses her right to education, her right to health, her right to choose when and whom to marry, and ultimately, her right to a childhood.
- After failing the exams, a failure she attributes to the stress imposed by her new life, her husband refused to allow her to return to school.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
