Nigeria, March 22 -- There was no sign of excitement on Christiana Ebonyi's face on her wedding day in 2015. At just 16, she was being married off to a man nearly three times her age. For her family, the union represented hope - hope that their new son-in-law would help lift them out of poverty.

For Christiana, now 26, it marked the beginning of a life she never wanted.

Seated in front of her thatched hut on a Wednesday evening last July, Mrs Ebonyi remembers with sadness how her life went from hope to despair.

Growing up, she had desired to become a nurse and serve her community, Abofia-Mgbo Agbaja in Ndiachi, Izzi Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State.

But when her parents pressured her to marry at 16, her dream crumpled.

"My...