In early October, Aitaj Shakhmarova, 14, was murdered by a man who kidnapped her and forced her into marriage as she was trying to flee his home. The crime shook Georgia, where child marriage rates are relatively high.

This week, we spoke to Samira Bayramova, a human rights activist from Kvemo Kartli, about the murder and prevalence of early marriage in Georgia and the importance of raising awareness of child marriage and the development of rural communities. Baia Pataraia, the executive director of Sapari, a women’s rights organisation, stresses the importance of implementing already-existing legislation to prevent early marriage in Georgia.

Read more:

• Family of 14-year-old murdered in Georgia charged with complicity in her early marriage

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