African leaders must take ‘concrete steps’ to end child marriage
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Version 0 of 1. African leaders need to back their political ambitions to end child marriage with effective policies and the money to see them through, according to a global partnership fighting to end the practice. On the annual Day of the African Child on Tuesday, which this year focuses on child marriage, Françoise Kpeglo Moudouthe, head of Africa engagement at Girls Not Brides, said the continent’s leaders had taken big steps in making political commitments to end the practice, but needed to do more. “There’s a lot happening, but not as fast as needed. Part of the problem … there’s a lot of political commitment, which is great, but we have not yet got to the point where we’re organising ourselves to have affected a concentrated approach. It’s time to come together and build on the political momentum and address this issue,” she said. “Many African governments have taken that step politically. But let’s make that a holistic commitment, a social commitment, a policy commitment and a financial commitment.” According to the latest UN estimates, every year around 15 million girls marry before they are 18. Around 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are married before their 18th birthdays, and 12% before they turn 15. As well as robbing girls, and boys, of their childhood, child marriage can also have devastating physical consequences. Young brides are more likely to give birth when their bodies are not fully developed, which can lead to injuries such as fistula. The UN children’s agency, Unicef, says 15 of the 20 countries identified as having the highest prevalence of child marriage are in Africa. Niger tops the list, with 76% of women aged between 20 and 24 saying they were married or in a union before they were 18. Central African Republic and Chad follow, both with 68%. Some 33 African countries have set 18 as the minimum age for marriage for both girls and boys. Four – Algeria, Lesotho, Libya and Rwanda – have set the age limit higher. In Rwanda, the legal age for marriage for both sexes is 21, while Algeria has set the age limit at 19. Despite these laws, some countries continue to allow girls to marry younger if their parents consent. Last year the African Union launched a campaign to end child marriage in the 10 countries with the highest rates. The AU plans to hold a summit on ending the practice in November. But Moudouthe said the political will needs to be turned into action. “Right now we know if you want to move from commitment to concrete change, and impact on the lives of our girls, we need effective leadership, and civil society and other institutions to work together to advance as fast as needed and required.” Related: Child marriage: we must urge action to stop girls' initiation rites | Persilia Muianga Moudouthe said she wanted to see built a social movement “that involves all of us”, to push for an end to child marriage. National strategies need to be developed to address the problem – such as through compulsory birth registration so there is no doubt about a girls age, and decent education so girls are made aware of their rights and have the skills to exercise them, she said. Poverty, which is often cited by parents as a reason for marrying off their daughters, will also need to be addressed by leaders. Families and community chiefs will need to be mobilised to drive change locally. But all that will require a long-term commitment, says Moudouthe, which needs to be borne in mind by governments setting new policies, and by donors committing programme funds. “Child marriage is not going to be ended overnight. Something we all need to understand is that we’re in for a long fight.” The proposed sustainable development goals, set to come into force in January, include a target to eliminate child marriage by 2030. The Day of the African Child was established in 1991 to commemorate the 1976 Soweto student uprising in South Africa, in which hundreds of young people were killed or injured. |