In pictures | Education in the shadow of early marriage

Zhenik, 17, has lived in the Shaveshyan family for around two years, but her father-in-law has never heard her voice. But around these parts, that’s not unusual. Her grandfather-in-law did not hear the voice of his daughter-in-law for more than 40 years of living together. Indeed, it is one of the accepted social practices among the majority of Armenian Yazidis. The Shaveshyans are one of the 62 Yazidi families in the village of Rya Taza. The village is located in Armenia’s western Aragatsotn