As a teenager, Mercy Akuot’s Dad informed her that her schooling days were over, and she was to immediately get married to a man she knew as her uncle. She was told she had no choice,  that this was the custom and tradition. But for Mercy this tradition was wrong, and she fought back. She says she doesn’t blame her parents, but negative cultural practices that oppress women. Her story of survival drives her passion to support women and girls to stand up for themselves in Kakuma Camp, in South Sudan and around the world. (Recorded at TEDxKakumaCamp on June 9, 2018) When she was only 15, South Sudanese refugee Mercy Akuot was married off against her will, to an elderly man. She escaped the forced union and now advocates for women’s rights and supervises a women and girls empowerment program in the camp. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx