Empowering Women Through Resilience and Freedom

Laila Eshan

Laila Eshan’s life story is both harrowing and inspiring. Born in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, she and her sister were uprooted at age 9 and taken to Germany by their father . At just 16, Laila was forced into an arranged marriage and sent to America. For 16 years she lived as a prisoner in her own home, enduring rape, violence and mental torture . By age 26 she was a mother of four. Finally, she chose freedom – escaping the abusive marriage to build a new life for herself and her children . In her memoir I Want Freedom: My Journey to Freedom, Laila shares this journey. She explains that writing the book is part of her mission to “bring awareness to forced arranged marriages worldwide” and to be a voice for others still suffering.

The Global Crisis of Forced (Child) Marriage

Forced and child marriage are not isolated to one region – it’s a global human rights crisis. Millions of girls and women are affected around the world. For example, an UN report notes that nearly 650 million women alive today were married as children before age 18 unfpa.org, and another 12 million girls become child brides every year. This is roughly 23 girls every minute equalitynow.org girlsnotbrides.org. In practical terms, about 1 in 5 women aged 20–24 today were married as children equalitynow.org. Forced marriage happens in every culture, religion, and continent girlsnotbrides.org. It’s often driven by gender inequality, poverty, tradition or conflict girlsnotbrides.org equalitynow.org. For instance, in areas of war or instability, families may marry off daughters “as a survival strategy” equalitynow.org.

Key facts: Each year ~12 million girls are forced into marriage before 18 equalitynow.org girlsnotbrides.org. This means ~1 girl every 2 seconds. equalitynow.org

Gender disparity: 1 in 5 young women (but only 1 in 30 men) were married before 18 equalitynow.org.

Global reach: Child/forced marriage is “a truly global problem,” occurring across countries, cultures, and religions girlsnotbrides.org.

Welcome to a movement born from survival, strength, and purpose. I Want Freedom is more than a memoir—it’s a mission to raise awareness about forced arranged marriages and support girls and women fighting for freedom and independence.

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Born from personal experience, I Want Freedom stands as a voice for the voiceless. Our work is rooted in resilience, driven by compassion, and fueled by the urgent need to end forced arranged marriages.

We empower survivors, educate communities, and provide resources to help girls reclaim their futures. Every story shared, every life touched, moves us one step closer to global change.