KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Sail Ayu was only 13 years old when she was forced to marry a total stranger.

Coming from a poor family in Tenom, Sabah, her parents could not afford to pay for her education.

"When we were young, our life was very hard. We had to wake up early in the morning. We would be up at 5am and walk to school. We had to walk for three miles,” she said in a Facebook video posted by Sabah Women’s Action-Resource Group earlier this week.

"When we were walking home, the weather would be hot and we didn’t have anything to eat or drink. So, when we were walking home, we had to drink the river water first. I always wanted to go to secondary school.”

Despite the struggle, Sail said she always got good grades when sitting for primary school examinations, which motivated her to continue to secondary school.

"Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go,” said Sail, who is now 59.

Everything changed, when Sail was forced to get married.

She admitted, at that time, she had no idea at all about weddings — only that she was told to wear something nice for the wedding

"I didn’t even know that man was my husband. We just sat there. Everyone else was looking at us, clapping their hands, but I wasn’t even sure if I felt happy. Why? Because I didn’t know what marriage was.

"I didn’t know the meaning of marriage, what happens after that. That was how I felt. I felt scared,” she continued.

That was when she started to feel disappointed with her own life, that she was crying so much.

"My father saw me crying and he caned me,” she said, adding that she was beaten just for wanting to go to school.

"I look at my friends. There were some who became teachers. Some became nurses. Why couldn’t I be just like them? I studied hard,” she said solemnly, recalling her unfulfilled dreams.

Due to constant heartbreak, Sail said she attempted suicide twice. While she was determined to drink poison, she admitted she did not have the courage.

"If I drank the poison, who’s going to take care of my child? I didn’t forget that, but what could I have done? Maybe… Maybe that was God’s will for me,” she said, struggling to hold back her tears.

"If I wasn’t forced to get married at such a young age, maybe my husband wouldn’t have married me. I would be in a better place right now.

"But I don’t blame him. What could we have done, right?” she asked.

Yesterday, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal finally caved in and confirmed that the state government will raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, despite its state mufti’s proposal for Muslim girls to marry as early as 14.