Upcoming singer Rahmah Pinky has shared her harrowing experience of how she narrowly escaped a forced marriage on her wedding day. At the age of 17, Rahmah's parents arranged for her to marry a 50-year-old man, who promised to take care of her education and provide a better life for her in the USA.
Despite her protests, the wedding was organized with only a few guests in attendance.
In a bid to avoid the marriage, Rahmah turned to alcohol, despite being a Muslim. However, her parents remained resolute, and the ceremony continued as planned. Rahmah realized that she had to take drastic measures to avoid being forced into a life she didn't want.
While changing into her wedding dress, she ran away her life depended on it and never looked back, successfully halting the ceremony.
Rahmah's mother was committed to marrying her off, but Rahmah herself was not ready for such a commitment at such a young age.
Reflecting on her experience, Rahmah states that she is grateful that she dodged a bullet.
She hopes that other young girls never face the same ordeal.
“When I was 17 years old after my form six, my parents wanted to marry me off to an old man. I never wanted but I had nothing to do. I tried to drink the day before so I could get sick and stop everything but the ceremony went on.
My makeup was done when I was on a drip but still, I managed to run away in the middle of the party. That’s how I survived forced early marriage,” Rahma Pinky narrates.
