Child marriages concern for Africa

Child marriage remains a brutal reality for millions of girls across Africa, denying them the right to live healthy, to enjoy their childhood to the fullest  and fulfilling lives.

Poverty, lack of education, gender stereotyping, discrimination and negative religious practices have resulted in millions of these girls being married off before their 18th birthday.

Zimbabwe is one of the 40 countries in the world with an unacceptably high rate of child marriages, where girls enter into marriage before they turned 18. According to the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2014), 32.8 % of women aged between 20 and 49 reported that they were married before they were 18; while 24.5 % of girls between 15 and 19 years are currently married.  Currently the country's customary law and the marriage Act have not been realigned to take into consideration the legal age of majority and the age of sexual consent for girls as outlined in the Constitution.

"Zimbabwe's Constitution states that "no person may be compelled to enter marriage against their will", and calls on the state to ensure that no girls are pledged into marriage. Yet over 32% of girls in Zimbabwe are married before their 18th birthday," said UNICEF Representative Reza Hossani.  "We call upon the Government to urgently review existing laws and policies to ensure that they are in line with the Constitution."

The magnitude of violations occasioned in a single act of marrying off a child cannot be underestimated. In the worst of cases, a girl who becomes pregnant when her body is not yet ready may die at childbirth. Her baby may also not survive: a double tragedy. Infants born to adolescent mothers are 60 per cent more likely to die in their first year, and are more likely to be malnourished.

"We cannot downplay or neglect the harmful practice of child marriage, as it has long term and devastating effects on these girls whose health is at risk and at worst leading to death due to child birth and other complications," said Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

The African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa encourages governments across the continent to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years. The Campaign also focuses on strengthening families and communities to protect their children, and ensuring they have access to key information and services of quality.

The Day of the African Child (DAC) will serve to shine a brighter spotlight on the contribution that young people are making to accelerate the movement towards ending child marriage at multiple levels. From young reporters who publish stories on child marriage, to young people who speak at international fora, to those who take part in discussions with their families, their peers and their communities about the benefits of delaying marriage and pregnancies and in action to end the practice - they are important agents of change. Their role can be further enhanced through the provision of life skills, quality education and training.

This year's DAC will be 25 years since it was first marked, and will focus on ending child marriage in Africa. While the DAC commemorations are held on 16 June each year across countries in Africa, the official continental commemoration were held in Soweto, South Africa, yesterday, the 15th of June, 2015.

The DAC also coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), and an opportunity to reinforce the commitment by African governments to children's rights, while examining the main achievements and challenges in the implementation of the ACRWC.

Hundreds of children from South Africa will be joined in Soweto by others from across Africa, to commemorate the DAC and further urge the African leadership to do more for children, especially in ending child marriage.