“My father told me to just get married. Do not study anymore. So I ran away [because] I didn’t want to get married yet”. According to one of the child grooms, three horses were the payment for his freedom. <br /><br />In Bukidnon's Manobo tribe, children are forced into arranged marriages or a tradition called "buya." For children as young as two years old, marriages may be arranged under this custom and escaping may mean a tribal war for the Manobos.<br /><br />But last December 2021, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill that will end child marriage in the Philippines or Republic Act 11596 or An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage.<br /><br />Watch this 'Stand For Truth' documentary to learn more.
