December in Fushe Kruja is a very cold month for the Roma
community. The city is situated right next to a mountain so there are no hills,
trees or something else that can stop the cold wind coming from the Adriatic Sea . Even though this area is not particularly characterized by low temperatures, the strong cold wind gives another
perception. Roma families start collecting wood and prepare the old stoves for
colder days. Many of them are not so lucky to have a stove, thus they get often
ill and try to go and visit parents within the community, maybe the ones that
own a stove. Some of them can’t find wood so they go searching in the rubbish,
everywhere in the city, the important thing is to find something which can get
burned. Little boys go searching for hours and sometimes they come home with
pieces of plywood which can hold fire just for a couple of hours.
This presentation was necessary because it is important to
understand how roma parents still are not conscious about the lack of
information regarding health, education, children caring. All these situations
have a main cause: Early marriages.
Young girls, 12 years old, get married with young boys who aren't more than 16 years old. These new couples are still children, they
don’t live their adolescence, they don’t play enough, don’t go to school, don’t
know how to take care for themselves. The ironic fact is that they get married
at a very early age and become parents when they are still in their adult
childhood. On the other hand their parents don’t know what to teach them
because it has been the same for them, and the history repeats itself,
perpetuating negative consequences.
Girls become mothers at 13 years old and they are afraid,
they don’t know what to do with these new creatures. They tie them up as little
dolls, so they are easier to carry up and feed them with what they can. There
have been cases when they don’t have breast milk or other kind of food and give
babies boiled beans, thinking it is nutritive. These babies grow up not only without vaccination but also without any medical control, and the most important is that they don’t exist formally . As early marriages are not allowed in Albania by law, young mothers can
not register their babies to the public institutions, hospital or health centers.
Ada Mexhiri, Zeqine Gatali and Adela Misha, three young
students of Reflect school got married in the last three months. They were all
13 years old and were all frequenting the ADRA community centre in Fushe Kruja.
These three young students had just started to read and write, to get involved
in activities, to enjoy some free time far from hard work. From now on, they
can not come to school anymore; they can’t even go out of their new houses. Now that
they are married, they have to stay in their new house, cooking, washing,
working more than all family members, just because they are the new brides.
When ADRA staff goes to visit them, they hide because they
are shy, they don’t know what to say, they don’t even know to give an
explanation about the decision they have made.
After a year working in Fushe Kruja, you understand that
this decision is not taken by them; they don’t even think to take such
important decisions. Their parents see them as burdens; most of the time, when
a young bride comes in the house, the oldest daughter should leave in order to give space
to the new arrival. This was the fate of our three students. In their families,
a new bride came and, since they live in small rooms where there is not enough
space for everyone, they have to go; marriage is the only escape. The same
logic works also for the food. When a new member comes home, one of the girls
should leave, because these families are very poor and can’t afford to feed
everyone.Young girls are the once that sacrifice more than any other member of the community. They are considered as a
mouth more to feed so the solution is to force them getting married. Parents
put pressure on them, make them feel as burdens, treat them badly so they are
forced to leave and to find a new house.
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