When you meet 17-year-old Roumana today, you see a young woman seated behind a sewing machine, her hands steady, her eyes focused. She leans into her work with quiet confidence. But beneath that calm strength lies a story marked by fear, betrayal, and an unthinkable attempt to take away her future.
At age 10, Roumana travelled from Togo to Ghana for what was meant to be a simple holiday with her aunt. She stayed, living in a home she trusted, surrounded by the familiar warmth of family.
Years later, in 2023, she travelled back to Togo with her aunt for the Tabaski festival. She expected celebration. Instead, her life was turned upside down.
“My aunt tried to force me to marry a man I didn’t know. She took me to his house in a different region.”
Imagine being 15. In a strange region. Inside a stranger’s home. And suddenly told you must become his wife.
The fear. The confusion. The feeling of being trapped with no one to turn to.
When her parents discovered what had happened, their world collapsed. They rushed to rescue their daughter, only to be confronted by resistance they never imagined.
“When my parents found out what was happening, they came to get me. However, the man and his family refused to let me go.”
Her freedom required a police complaint. The man was arrested. Only then could she go home.
But freedom did not erase the trauma. Returning home did not make the fear disappear. That kind of wound sits deep.
Following this traumatic experience, Roumana found support with Plan International. It was the first time since the attempted forced marriage that she could breathe without fear.
She didn’t just receive care; she received space to dream again. When asked what she wanted for her future, she chose sewing. A skill of her own. Something no one could take from her.
With support, she began an apprenticeship and was given a sewing machine. That machine became more than a tool; it became a lifeline.
“Today, I am proud to be a seamstress. I have learnt how to make clothes, and I also sew at home after the training workshop. People give me their clothes to sew, which helps me earn a little money.”
With every piece of fabric she cuts, with every stitch she makes, she is piecing her life back together.
Child marriage remains one of the most harmful forms of violence affecting girls in Togo. One in four girls are married before the age of 18, despite laws meant to protect them. It is a practice rooted in poverty, unequal power, and deeply entrenched norms about a girl’s worth.
Before all this, the issue felt distant to Roumana.
“Before, when people talked about child marriage, I was not interested.”
But it only takes one moment- one attempt to steal your freedom, for the truth to become painfully clear.
“It was only when I became a victim myself that I understood all the suffering it can cause: the fear, the sadness and the loss of freedom.”
Today, the girl who was once nearly forced into a stranger’s home now stands proudly behind her own sewing machine.
“I am grateful to PAFED, Plan International and Action Sociale. Their support has been enormous. They have given me my confidence and courage back, and above all, they have helped me keep smiling despite everything I have been through.”
Now every stitch Roumana sews is a reminder: her life belongs to her.
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