BBC News - Big money for Niger's child brides
Niger has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, and is struggling to stop the practice, writes the BBC's Fergal Keane.
In the distance it appears like a tiny blur against the bright light of noon.
But coming closer, gathering force, the wind creates a moving cloud of sand.
By the time it reaches the Tuareg nomads in the desert north of Agadez it is whipping into faces, stinging every piece of exposed skin.
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Many families have no choice… when a wealthy Nigerian comes offering millions”
Amina Mother of a 15-year-old
They hunker down and turn their backs to the wind and wait for the storm to pass.
Every choice in this landscape is defined by the imperative of survival.
For the Tuareg of Niger, life is a constant struggle against the accumulating challenges of hunger and poverty.
They live in a country which ranks lowest on the United Nations human development index - 187 out of 187 - and which has the world's highest birth rate.
Most women in Niger marry when young as there is a fear that unwed teenagers may fall pregnant
