Young Marriage

By: Shafia Khatun

My name is Shafia Khatun, I live in Manchester near the city centre and have lived there for around nine years now.

My experience of marriage hasn’t been a happy one. I originally came to the UK just on a visit, but then my husband sent for me and I got married. When I came to this country to get married I was only 15, under age for this country. I remember at that time I was so upset as I had left my parents in Bangladesh - I was in a total panic. I couldn’t even speak English. I found that without being able to speak English I couldn’t manage my life at all, so I started studying it and then things became a bit easier.

My marriage failed eventually and I’ve found it very hard being a single mother. As an Asian person if I go out shopping or getting on with things I feel that people are talking about me as I am a lone parent and mother. I spend a lot of time on my own, although I do have some friends now who are also immigrants mostly from Bengal or Somalia.

I did get married again for a second time, but that marriage also failed. My husband is still in the UK but he has left me for a much younger woman. Now my children are my best friends, they are everything.