Child Marriage Around the World: Honduras — Olga

Living together outside of marriage is common among young Honduran women like her, says Olga Emelina Vásquez Pena. The 19-year-old says she moved in with her boyfriend when she was 17. Now, the couple share their home in the La Paz region with their daughter. Economics play a big role in normalizing such informal unions, according to Vásquez and her mother. “Divorcing here is very difficult and expensive,” the elder woman says. “Here, people are poor.”

Voice of America reporters around the world focused on the worth of a girl to reveal how a young bride is valued by two families: the one she leaves behind and the one she joins. Explore the full project https://projects.voanews.com/child-marriage/