CHILD MARRIAGE

A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN

TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

i
 Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Carina Hickling (international consultant)
for her technical expertise, skills and dedication in
completing this mapping; to Maja Hansen (Regional
Programme Specialist, Adolescent and Youth, UNFPA East
and Southern Africa Regional Office) and Jonna Karlsson
(Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Eastern and Southern
Africa Regional Office) for the guidance on the design and
implementation of the study; and to Maria Bakaroudis,
Celine Mazars and Renata Tallarico from the UNFPA East
and Southern Africa Regional Office for their review of
the drafts. The final report was edited by Lois Jensen and
designed by Paprika Graphics and Communications.

We also wish to express our appreciation to the global and

regional partners that participated as informants in the
study, including the African Union Commission, Secretariat
for the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage;
Girls Not Brides; Population Council; Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency – Zambia regional
office; World YWCA; Commonwealth Secretariat; Rozaria
Memorial Trust; Plan International; Inter-Africa Committee
on Traditional Practices; Save the Children; Voluntary
Service Overseas; International Planned Parenthood
Federation Africa Regional Office; and the Southern African
Development Community Parliamentary Forum.

Special thanks to the UNFPA and UNICEF child marriage

focal points in the 12 country offices in East and Southern
Africa (Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South
Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and
Zimbabwe) and the governmental and non-governmental
partners that provided additional details on initiatives in the
region.

The information contained in this report is drawn from

multiple sources, including interviews and a review of
materials available online and provided by organizations.
The content offers a representative range of work being
done on child marriage by a number of organizations in
the countries selected, but may not include each and every
organization focusing on the issue.

We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the

UK Aid and European Commission-funded UNFPA-UNICEF
Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child
Marriage, which made this mapping possible.

Front cover photo: © UNFPA ZAMBIA

Inside front cover photo: © UNFPA ESARO
Table of Contents
Acronyms 01
Glossary 02
Executive summary 03

Part I. Background and findings 06

Chapter 1. Mapping objective and methodology 06

Chapter 2. Child marriage: Context and policy environment 09

Child marriage in Africa 09
Global, regional and national policy environment 10

Chapter 3. Mapping findings and recommendations 12

Advocacy 12
Programming 13
Coordination 17
Monitoring and evaluation 19
Funding 20

Part 2. Partnerships and programmes 21

Chapter 4. Partnerships: regional and national stakeholders 21
Regional Stakeholders 21
National Stakeholders 25

Chapter 5. Programmes: by country 33

Comoros 33
Democratic Republic of the Congo 34
Eritrea 37
Ethiopia 41
Madagascar 46
Malawi 48
Mozambique 52
South Sudan 57
Tanzania 60
Uganda 65
Zambia 70
Zimbabwe 73

Chapter 6. Additional evidence from the Population Council 77

Annexes
Annex 1. List of people interviewed 80
Annex 2. Survey response overview 81

iii
Acronyms
APDA Afar Pastoralist Development Association (Ethiopia)

AU African Union

CAMA The Alumni Association for Camfed graduates

CAMFED Campaign for Female Education

CECAP National Coalition to End Child Marriage in Mozambique

DANIDA Danish International Development Agency

DFID Department for International Cooperation (United Kingdom)

DHS Demographic and Health Survey

DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo

FAWETZ Forum for African Women Educationalists Tanzania

FGM/C Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

GNB Girls Not Brides

IPPF International Planned Parenthood Federation

ICPD International Conference on Population and Development

KOICA Korea International Cooperation Agency

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

MoWCA Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (Ethiopia)

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

NUEW National Union of Eritrean Women

PEPFAR United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS

SADC Southern African Development Community

SALC Southern Africa Litigation Centre

SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

USAID United States Agency for International Development

VSO Voluntary Service Overseas

YWCA Young Women’s Christian Association

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 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Glossary
Adolescent birth rate measures the annual number of births to women 15 to 19 years of age per 1,000 women in
that age group. It represents the risk of childbearing among adolescent women aged 15 to 19.1

Betrothal is a promise to marry or to be engaged for the purpose of marriage and includes any coerced act that may
lead to marriage or results in marriage.

Child marriage includes any legal or customary union involving a boy or girl below the age of 18.

Child marriage prevalence is the percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in union before
18 years of age.2

Comprehensive sexuality education includes scientifically accurate information about human development, anatomy
and reproductive health as well as information about contraception, childbirth and sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV.3

Delaying age at marriage refers to upward movements in the average age at marriage within a group. This is
different than decreasing the rate of child marriage since, for example, a programme may be successful at raising the
average age of marriage from 15 to 17 years, an accomplishment that would not change the number of those getting
married under age 18.

Evidence-based programming refers to programmes that are based on evaluated programmes that are using an
experimental design. The programme results should be replicated in more than one study and peer reviewed.4

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) includes any procedure that intentionally alters female genital organs
for non-medical reasons. The procedure does not have health benefits for girls. On the contrary, it can cause severe
bleeding, problems urinating and, later, cysts, infections as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of
newborn deaths. According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 million girls and women alive today
have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where the practice is concentrated and is mostly
carried out on girls between infancy and age 15.5

Safe space is a formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. It is a space
where women and girls can enjoy the freedom to express themselves without the fear of judgement or harm. The key
objectives of a safe space are to provide an area where women and girls can socialize and rebuild social networks;
receive social support; acquire contextually relevant skills; access safe and non-stigmatizing multisectoral response
services6 (psychosocial, legal, medical) to gender-based violence; and receive information on issues relating to
women’s rights, health and services.

Sexual violence is a sexual act committed against someone without that person’s freely given consent.7

A theory of change is a tool for developing solutions to complex social problems. A basic theory of change explains
how a group of early and intermediate accomplishments sets the stage for producing long-range results. A more
complete theory of change articulates the assumptions about the process through which change will occur and
specifies the ways in which all of the required early and intermediate outcomes related to achieving the desired long-
term change will be brought about and documented as they occur.8

1
Millennium Development Goals Indicators. The official United Nations site for the MDG Indicators is:
https://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Metadata.aspx?IndicatorId=0&SeriesId=761 (accessed 1 September 2017).
2
United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children, 2016, UNICEF, New York.
3
United Nations Population Fund website, www.unfpa.org/comprehensive-sexuality-education (accessed 1 September 2017).
4
Cornell University, 2017, http://evidencebasedliving.human.cornell.edu/2010/05/04/evidence-based-programming-what-does-it-actually-mean/ (accessed 1 September 2017).
5
World Health Organization fact sheet, updated February 2017, www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/ (accessed 1 September 2017).
6
‘Women’s and Girls’ Safe Spaces’, UNFPA Regional Syria Response Hub, 2015,
http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/woman%20space%20E.pdf (accessed 15 August 2017).
7
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated 22 March 2017, www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/definitions.html (accessed 1 September 2017).
8
Adapted from Anderson, A., 2005, ‘The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change: A practical guide to theory and development’, The Aspen Institute Roundtable on
Community Change, New York. See: http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/A-Theory-of-Change-on-Child-Marriage-Background-Brief.pdf for an example of a
theory of change that addresses child marriage.

2
Executive summary
Child marriage can have devastating consequences for evidence-based programming through research and
individual girls and their future children. Typically, it analysis of trends, patterns and what works at scale
cuts short or ends a girl’s education, compromises her to inform policies and interventions.
reproductive rights, sexual health, future employment
and earnings and perpetuates personal and community The mapping explored child marriage programmes
poverty. Globally, more than one in four girls are and partnerships that were operational between 2010
married as children – before the age of 18. In East and and 2017, many of which are still ongoing. It collected
Southern Africa, the share is 36 per cent, and 10 per information on eight intervention areas based on the
cent of girls in the region are married by age 15. outcomes listed above:

This report presents the results of a mapping of • Empowerment and asset-building;

programmes and partnerships that seek to prevent • Economic empowerment;
and mitigate the effects of child marriage in East and • Enhanced educational opportunities;
Southern Africa. The mapping focused on 12 countries • Sensitization/awareness-raising of individuals,
in the region where the prevalence of child marriage families and communities;
is greater than 30 per cent9: Comoros, Democratic • Sexual and reproductive health information and
Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, services;
Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania (United • Safeguarding rights and social protection for
Republic of), Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The adolescent girls and families;
findings are intended to serve as a basis for knowledge- • National law and policy reform, strengthened
sharing and strengthened coordination among implementation and legal enforcement; and
government, development partners, non-governmental • Research and evidence-gathering activities.
organizations, civil society organizations, and youth-
led organizations, and include the identification of best Information for the mapping was drawn from a
practices that can be replicated and taken to scale. desk review, formative consultations, key informant
interviews, questionnaires distributed to implementing
Mapping Methodology agencies at the country level, and a review of materials
provided by responding organizations. In total, 38 key
The mapping was guided by the results framework used informant interviews and 59 survey responses informed
in the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate the mapping. In most cases, the data collected at the
Action to End Child Marriage. The framework focuses country level are not a representative sample of all
on five outcomes that are designed to create integrated programmes and partners that work to address the
and systematic programme interventions: issue of child marriage and should only be considered a
snapshot of the current situation. However, the survey
• Outcome 1 focuses on empowering girls, so that they responses combined with the interviews do provide
are able to make effective choices about their lives. a credible picture of current issues and programme
• Outcome 2 focuses on promoting positive practices trends in the region.
at the level of the individual, family and community,
changing attitudes and behaviours and creating self- Findings and recommendations
sustaining, girl-friendly environments.
• Outcome 3 aims to directly strengthen critical As programmes were reviewed and assessed against
education, health and social protection systems and the framework outlined above, five major themes
structures to expand access, utilization and improve emerged: advocacy, programming, coordination,
the quality of services for adolescent girls. monitoring and evaluation, and funding. The mapping
• Outcome 4 focuses on legal frameworks and suggests that these particular areas are key for future
development policies aimed to protect and promote knowledge-sharing and for increasing the scale and
adolescent girls’ rights. effectiveness of programme delivery.
• Outcome 5 gives particular attention to data and

9
Child marriage rates exceeding 30 per cent among women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18.

3
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Advocacy The mapping found that child marriage practices vary

widely among districts and even communities. And
Current advocacy efforts, such as the African Union that they are closely interconnected with traditional
Campaign to End Child Marriage and recent legal practices and social norms surrounding female genital
reforms, underpinned by the Southern African mutilation/cutting, notions of family honour, puberty
Development Community’s Model Law on Eradicating (menarche), virginity, parental concerns surrounding
Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already premarital sex and pregnancy, dowry pressures, the
in Marriage, have increased awareness among perception that marriage provides protection from
parliamentarians on the effects of child marriage. But HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and the
in most countries, this has yet to be translated into desire to secure social, economic or political alliances.
effective action with measurable impact.10 In some contexts, particularly where women have low
status, child marriage is seen as an effective way to
Advocacy needs to continue to keep child marriage reduce household poverty and relieve the financial
high on the national agenda and to generate sustained burden that girls place on their families.
political ‘buy-in’. Advocacy messages should be
coordinate and harmonized to reach all actors. Interventions are most effective when they respond to
Moreover, they should avoid ‘demonizing’ the practice the specific context in which child marriage takes place
of child marriage, which could alienate certain target and are able to intersect the child marriage trajectory.
groups who may indeed have few options. Findings from the literature, validated through the
mapping, show that evidence-based programming,
Programming often articulated through a ‘theory of change’, is
crucial for achieving sustainable results at national
The number of girls affected by child marriage in the and local levels. Some of the programmes reviewed
12 countries involved in the mapping is enormous. demonstrated linkages to existing evidence; others
Although greater attention is now being given to were less clear on the larger programmatic perspective
the issue of child marriage, existing programmes do or how the programme was situated vis à vis a national
not have the capacity to meet current needs. Several and local theory of change.
respondents expressed concern about pocket areas
with high child marriage rates that are not being A majority of responders emphasized the need to
addressed by existing programmes. ground child marriage programming within local
communities to ensure that community members and
While a majority of the responding partners indicated girls themselves are included as partners throughout
that they implement a wide range of interventions, they the project cycle. Respondents highlighted the value
were limited in terms of the number of girls reached of a process in which community members identify
and geographic coverage. In some cases, they said they the problem and find solutions, while also identifying
were taking on too many different kinds of interventions and taking responsibility for the factors that may
and spreading themselves thin. More than half of the be hindering progress. Changing deeply entrenched
programmes included in the mapping reported that they social norms requires continuous and systematic
address seven or more of the eight intervention areas. interventions and communication to sensitize various
groups within a community, including through
Most of the responding programmes work with girls community dialogues, which were undertaken by a
between 10 and 19 years of age and include both majority of the programmes reviewed.
married and unmarried girls. About 20 per cent of
the respondents stated that they specifically work In terms of prevention, respondents reported that
with survivors of child marriage. However, informants interventions that make use of mentors and role
expressed a concern that very young adolescent girls models for girls are often effective. They appreciated
and those already married may be neglected in that young people can make a difference by speaking
current programming. up and defending their rights, especially when they

10
Lloyd, Cynthia B., 2009, New Lessons: The power of educating adolescent girls, The Population Council. Broad correlational studies have shown that where female educational
attainment is high, child marriage prevalence is lower. However, there is a need to look at what types of investments in education promote better outcomes for girls and how
this is correlated with reductions in child marriage rates.

4
are supported by an established structure. The kind Funding
of interventions that have helped in this regard are
encapsulated in the ‘safe space’ concept, with a focus The mapping found that many child marriage
on training and leadership opportunities for young programmes are implemented by small organizations
people. Such programmes should include already that make do with limited resources and funding, but
married girls that may be missing in the current focus still manage to achieve results. Several respondents
on preventing child marriage. The mapping identified called upon the donor community to recognize smaller
the need for targeted support to married girls so they organizations and make funding available to expand
can continue or return to school, access appropriate their programmes. But respondents also raised caveats
sexual and reproductive health services, engage in in regards to what civil society organizations can
income-generation and livelihood programmes, or get accomplish: Increasing the impact of programmes
help to dissolve the marriage. will depend on the development of scalable models,
backed up by firm commitment and long-term support,
Respondents also indicated the need for large-scale including financing. This will require large-scale, multi-
interventions and system strengthening. For example, year funding from sources beyond traditional donors.
education systems should ensure that girls stay and
thrive in school, and health systems should provide Conclusion
access to adolescent-friendly health services.
The mapping stressed that the impact of existing
Coordination child marriage programmes can be strengthened if
advocacy and awareness campaigns are complemented
A majority of respondents highlighted fragmentation, by evidence-based, multisectoral interventions.
duplication and lack of coordination as the main Furthermore, it suggested that programmes should
challenges to effective programme delivery and use address the needs of girls at the individual level through
of available resources. Coordination mechanisms are empowerment and asset-building, while maintaining a
essential for preventing programmes from working in broader focus on system strengthening for
silos or ‘bubbles’ and for increasing linkages with other improved access to education, health and social
programmes and actors. protection services.

Clearly defined focus areas are useful for delegating Increasing the scale and effectiveness of programme
responsibilities, preventing duplication, ensuring delivery can best be accomplished through
geographic coverage and holding players accountable. programmes that work together in a coordinated way
– under a national strategy and (costed) action plan,
Monitoring and evaluation which is informed by a theory of change and back by
solid political commitment and financing. The presence
The mapping found relatively low levels of monitoring of such a strategy and plan appears to increase both
and evaluation, research and evidence-gathering to the effectiveness of programming through
assess the coverage and effectiveness of programmes. enhanced coordination and increased commitment
Only half of the programmes stated that they include among players.
research and evidence-gathering as part of their
implementation, and a third of the programmes have
not yet been evaluated, either because they are in the
early stages of the programme cycle or are not able to
afford an independent evaluation.

5
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Part I. Background
and findings

© UNFPA Ethiopia

Chapter 1. Mapping Conceptual framework

objective and methodology Child marriage programmes use one or a combination

of approaches and interventions. In 2007, a global
The objective of this programme and partnership analysis of factors and programmes undertaken by the
mapping was to provide an up-to-date status report on International Center for Research on Women identified
child marriage initiatives/programmes in 12 countries
eight general types of strategies for preventing child
with the highest prevalence of child marriage11 in East
marriage.12 Subsequent research by Malhotra and
and Southern Africa. It also aimed to identify good
others (2011)13 and Marcus and Page (2014)14 found
and promising practices that can be taken to scale.
that these strategies are widely employed by actors to
The findings are intended to serve as a basis for
knowledge-sharing and strengthened coordination prevent and mitigate the effects of child marriage.
among government; development partners; and non-
governmental, civil society and youth-led organizations.

11
Child marriage rates exceeding 30 per cent among women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18.
12
International Center for Research on Women, 2007, New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage: A global analysis of factors and programs, ICRW, Washington, D.C.
13
Malhotra, A., et al., 2011, Solutions to End Child Marriage: What the evidence shows, International Center for Research on Women, Washington D.C.,
https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Solutions-to-End-Child-Marriage.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
14
Marcus, Rachel, and Ella Page, 2014, Changing Discriminatory Norms Affecting Adolescent Girls Through Communication Activities: A review of evidence, Overseas Development
Institute, London, www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/9042.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
15
UNFPA/UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, Programme Guidance 2017, Draft.

6
The eight strategies are reflected in the results framework and through outreach services in communities and
for the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate schools, and by addressing community norms and
Action to End Child Marriage,15 which has five outcomes: attitudes on adolescent sexual and reproductive
health (for example, on early childbearing and access
to information and services).
Empower adolescent girls at risk of and 5. I mproving social protection and realization of
affected by marriage. rights for adolescent girls and their families. This
includes social protection services, mental health
and psychosocial support, safety and security (for
Work with families and communities
example, counselling, helplines, shelters), access to
to promote positive attitudes and
justice and legal aid, referral systems, and birth and/
behaviours towards girls.
or marriage registration.
6. S upporting national legal and policy reform
Ensure that health, education, protection to strengthen implementation and law
and other systems are responsive to the enforcement through, for example, advocacy with
needs of girls. parliamentarians, politicians and decision makers,
traditional and religious leaders, and the general
Support governments in creating a community. It also includes national-level policy
positive legal, policy and financial development and legal reform, development
environment for ending child marriage. of national strategies and action plans and/or
enhancement of law enforcement mechanisms.
7. Research and evidence-gathering activities.
Use and build data and evidence on what 8. A dvocacy and coordination at national and regional/
works at scale to end child marriage. global levels.

The conceptual framework for this mapping exercise Data collection

corresponds to the Global Programme’s results
framework by categorizing the interventions as follows: The information presented in this report was drawn
from a desk review, formative consultations, key
1. Empowerment and asset-building for girls, such as informant interviews, questionnaires distributed to
safe spaces, life-skills development (including cognitive, implementing agencies at the country level, and review
personal and interpersonal skills) and comprehensive of the materials provided by responding organizations.
sexuality education (in and out of school).
2. Economic empowerment of girls, including Information on programmes was identified through:
livelihood/vocational skills such as demand-driven
job training, income-generation activities, financial • Key stakeholders and programmes implementing
interventions corresponding to the eight key areas
savings activities and/or conditional or unconditional
for child marriage prevention and mitigation that
monetary or material support incentives for families.
were identified and confirmed by UNFPA and UNICEF
3. Enhancing educational opportunities for girls, such
regional offices;
as support to enrol and remain in formal primary and
• Contact with UNFPA and UNICEF staff and a review
secondary education and non-formal education, providing
of reports in each country office;
non-formal educational activities for girls, encouraging
• Web searches for programmes mentioned in key
out-of-school girls to return to school, improving the
background pieces;
overall quality of education, and addressing threats • Visiting UN, government and non-governmental
to school participation – such as improving physical organization (NGO) websites with known programmes;
infrastructure (like water and sanitation facilities along • A document review in the author’s personal library on
with menstrual hygiene management), providing child marriage; and
alternative pathways for learning, training teachers, • Web searches using key words.
encouraging gender-responsive teaching, and reforming
curricula and textbooks. The questionnaire was distributed to relevant UN and
4. Providing sexual and reproductive health government agencies and civil society organizations,
information and services to girls, such as including the Girls Not Brides national network with
improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual members in the 12 countries. The questionnaire was
and reproductive health information and services available as an online survey tool (Survey Monkey) and
(including modern contraception) in health facilities as a Word document in English and in French.

7
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

In total, 97 responses (38 key informant interviews Fifty-nine agencies completed the questionnaire (see
and 59 survey responses) contributed to the mapping Annex 2). Despite multiple attempts to enlist additional
(Annexes 1 and 2 provide a detailed list). The review organizations, the response remained low. In most
included programmes from any of the 12 countries cases, the country-level data collection can therefore
that were operational between 2010 and 2017; some not be considered as a representative sample and
programmes are still ongoing. the information gathered should only be considered
a snapshot of the current situation. However, through
Data analysis the combined survey responses and key informant
interviews, the mapping does provide a credible picture
of current issues and programme trends in the region.
All responses received have been included in the
analysis and are reflected in the respective country
How this report is organized
profiles. The data analysis is based on the eight
intervention areas outlined above. The qualitative This report is divided into two sections.
data gathered through key stakeholder interviews
and questionnaires was transcribed and analysed and Part I provides background on the mapping process
sorted in thematic areas. The analysis is presented and on child marriage in the region. It also presents the
under respective country profiles. All draft country main findings and recommendations resulting from the
profiles were shared with UNFPA and/or UNICEF mapping exercise.
country offices and validated by relevant staff.
Part II lists regional and national partners addressing
child marriage, along with descriptions of projects and
Limitations
programmes they have implemented in each of the 12
countries studied. The final chapter offers additional
Despite the variety of methods used, there are certain evidence and good practices on preventing child
to be numerous small-scale efforts that are not well marriage and mitigating its harmful effects.
known and lack a virtual presence or documentation,
or within which child marriage prevention and related Annex 1 lists the people interviewed for this study and
work is situated within broader social change or Annex 2 lists the organizations that responded to the
service-provision efforts. mapping survey, by country.

© UNFPA Malawi

8
Chapter 2. Child marriage: population: Girls in rural areas are twice as likely to
marry in childhood as girls from urban areas. Similarly,
Context and policy girls from the poorest 20 per cent of households are
environment twice as likely to marry before age 18 as girls from
households in the richest quintile.23
Globally, more than one in four young women (29
per cent) were married before the age of 1816. Of the Causes and consequences
world’s 1.1 billion girls, 22 million are already married,
and the number will grow as populations increase.17 Child marriage can have devastating effects on
individual girls and their (future) children: Typically, it
Child marriage in Africa cuts short or ends a girl’s education, compromises her
reproductive rights, sexual health, future employment
and earnings, and perpetuates personal and community
The prevalence of child marriage in East and Southern
poverty. While gender inequality, poverty, tradition
Africa, at 36 per cent, is higher than the global average,
and lack of education are acknowledged as root
and 10 per cent of girls in the region were married
causes of child marriage, the mapping showed a rich
before age 15.18 However, prevalence varies within and
diversity in how child marriage is interconnected with
among countries – from 52 per cent in South Sudan19 to
local traditions and rites. These include female genital
6 per cent in South Africa. In 12 countries in the region
mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), notions of family honour,
– the subject of this mapping – the prevalence of child
puberty (menarche), virginity, parental concerns
marriage is greater than 30 per cent.20
surrounding premarital sex and pregnancy, dowry
pressures, the perception that marriage provides
In all other regions of the world, current rates of
protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted
progress mean that the number of child brides is
infections, and the desire to secure social, economic or
declining each year. This is not the case in Africa.
political alliances. In some contexts, particularly where
In fact, even doubling the rate of reduction in child
women have low status, child marriage is seen as an
marriage would not be enough to reduce the number
effective way to reduce household poverty and relieve
of child brides. A growing population combined with a
the financial burden that girls place on their families.
slow decline in the practice of child marriage in Africa
Child marriage tends to increase in humanitarian
will put millions more girls at risk. If current trends
emergencies and conflict settings. Economic shocks,
continue, almost half of the world’s child brides in
such as natural disasters and protracted crises, have a
2050 will be African.21
direct impact on girls.

Inequitable progress The lack of a functioning civil registration system

(which provides proof of age for children), weak
While prevalence of child marriage across Africa is legislative frameworks that include provisions
slowly declining, progress has not been equitable: Since allowing underage marriage with parental consent
1990, prevalence has been halved among the richest, or court approval, customary or religious laws that
but remains unchanged among the poorest.22 condone child marriage and the lack of accompanying
enforcement mechanisms hinder the prevention of
Higher prevalence of child marriage in Africa is found child marriage and erode the effectiveness of official
in rural areas and among the poorest segment of the legislative intentions.24

16
United Nations Children’s Fund, Ending Child Marriage: Progress and prospects, UNICEF, New York, 2014,
https://www.unicef.org/media/files/Child_Marriage_Report_7_17_LR..pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
17
UNICEF, 2014.
18
UNICEF global databases, 2016, https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/
19
Figure not verified by the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) due to the ongoing conflict and displacement.
20
UNICEF global databases, 2016, https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/
21
UNICEF, 2014.
22
United Nations Children’s Fund, A profile of child marriage in Africa. UNICEF, New York, 2015.
https://www.unicef.org/media/files/Child_Marriage_Report_7_17_LR.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
23
UNICEF, 2015.
24
UNICEF 2005 Early marriage: A harmful traditional practice. A statistical exploration,
https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Early_Marriage_12.lo.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).

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 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Meeting the challenge rooted gender inequalities, norms and stereotypes.

The resolution also states that child marriage is a
If Africa is to effectively address the issue of barrier to development that perpetuates the cycle of
child marriage, it is paramount that resources are poverty. Through this resolution, countries agreed to
coordinated and prioritized for programming that is enact, enforce and uphold laws and policies to end
based on evidence and demonstrates results at scale. the practice and to develop and implement holistic,
The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate comprehensive and coordinated responses and
Action to End Child Marriage (2016-2019) is enhancing strategies in cooperation with stakeholders, including
investments in and support for married and unmarried civil society, to promote and protect the human rights
girls and making visible the corresponding benefits. It of all women and girls. This includes their right to
is doing so by employing a multisectoral approach and education and to have control over and decide freely
engaging key actors – including young people as agents and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality.
of change – in catalysing shifts towards positive gender The resolution encourages continued UN action on the
norms; increased political support and resources and issue and specifically recognizes the need to include
positive policies and frameworks; and an improved data clear commitments on child, early and forced marriage
and evidence base. in the post-2015 development agenda. On 19 December
2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a
Global, regional and national second resolution on child, early and forced marriage
policy environment at its 71st session.

In 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Council

The following outlines the policy environment in which
unanimously adopted a resolution co-sponsored
child marriage is being addressed.
by over 85 States to strengthen efforts to prevent
and eliminate child, early and forced marriage. The
Global
resolution is the first-ever substantive resolution on
child marriage adopted by the Council.
Ending child marriage is a global development
priority, as outlined in target 5.3 of the Sustainable
In June 2017, the United Nations Human Rights
Development Goals, which calls on governments to
Council adopted a resolution recognizing the need to
eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and
address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian
forced marriage and FGM/C. One of the indicators
contexts. Noting that 9 out of the 10 countries with the
for the target is the percentage of women aged 20
highest child marriage rates are fragile States, it calls
to 24 who were married or in a union before age 15 upon States and a wide range of other actors to take
and before age 18. Reducing the rate of child marriage specific actions to address child marriage. And, for
will also support the achievement of many the other the first time, it says that these efforts are particularly
Sustainable Development Goals, including Goals 1 (no important in humanitarian contexts.
poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 4 (quality education), 8
(economic growth), 10 (reduced inequalities) and 16 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
(peace, justice and strong institutions). Discrimination against Women states, in Article 16(1),
that men and women have equal rights to enter into
The Universal Declaration on Human Rights states a marriage, that they have the same right to freely
in Article 16 that men and women of full age have the choose a spouse, and to enter into marriage only with
right to marry and found a family, and are entitled to their free and full consent. More importantly, Article
equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its 16(2) states that the betrothal and marriage of a
dissolution. Furthermore, it says that marriage shall child shall have no legal effect, and that all necessary
be entered into only with the free and full consent of action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a
intending parties. minimum age for marriage.

The UN General Assembly resolution on child, early The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes
and forced marriage adopted on 21 November 2014 that children are entitled to human rights in their
reaffirms earlier resolutions on the issue. It recognizes own right. The provisions relating to child marriage
that child, early and forced marriage is a practice that include the following: Article 1: A child means every
severely impairs girls and women’s human rights, human being below the age of 18 years unless, under
is a threat to their health, education and economic the law applicable to the child, majority is attained
and social status and is inherently linked to deeply earlier. Article 2: Freedom from discrimination on any

10
grounds, including sex, religion, ethnic or social origin, and the betrothal of girls and boys should be
birth or other status. Article 3: In all actions concerning prohibited and that effective action, including
children... the best interests of the child shall be a legislation, should be taken to specify the minimum
primary consideration. Article 6: Maximum support age of marriage to be 18 years and make registration
for survival and development. Article 12: The right to of all marriages in an official registry compulsory.
express his or her views freely in all matters affecting In 2016, the Southern African Development
the child in accordance with age and maturity. Article Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum adopted
19: The right to protection from all forms of physical the Southern African Development Community
or mental violence, injury or abuse, maltreatment or Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and
exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of Protection of Children Already in Marriage.
parents, guardian or any other person. Article 24: The The Model Law is based on evidence and child
right to health and to access to health services, and protection principles. It provides guidance for
to be protected from harmful traditional practices. Member States to harmonize their national laws to
Articles 28 and 29: The right to education on the prevent child marriage by ensuring that policies and
basis of equal opportunity. Article 34: The right to legal frameworks are revised and inconsistencies,
protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and contradictions and gaps, such as existing provisions
sexual abuse. Article 35: The right to protection from for parental or judicial consent, and conflicts
abduction, sale or trafficking. Article 36: The right to between customary and statuary law, are removed.
protection from all forms of exploitation prejudicial to Through the Model Law, the SADC Parliamentary
any aspect of the child’s welfare. Forum has established a strong regional baseline
for how national laws and policy frameworks can
Regional cut across customary, religious and civil marriage
systems, as well as suggesting concrete measures
The African Women’s Protocol to the African and interventions to prevent and mitigate the effects
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights calls on of child marriage. The SADC Model Law also put an
State Parties to ensure that women and men enjoy emphasis on collating and sharing up-to-date child
equal rights and are regarded as equal partners marriage data through comprehensive monitoring
in marriage. Article 6 specifically provides that and evaluation.
appropriate national legislative measures should be
taken to guarantee that: National

•T  he minimum age of marriage for women shall be National laws regulating consent to marriage
18 years. among the 12 countries that are the focus of this
• No marriage shall take place without the free and mapping, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Sudan and
full consent of both parties. Uganda have set the age of consent to marriage
• Monogamy is encouraged as the preferred form of at 18 years, and do not permit exceptions. The
marriage and that the rights of women in marriage remaining countries allow for marriage below age 18
and family, including in polygamous marital with either parental consent and/or court approval.
relationships, are promoted and protected. The combination of customary and statuary laws in
• Every marriage shall be recorded in writing and many countries in the region complicates the age of
registered in accordance with national laws, in consent to marriage. In most cases, there is conflict
order to be legally recognized. between different legal systems. In addition, some
countries have differing ages of consent to marriage
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare for males and females. Relevant country-level
of the Child provides for the protection of children legislation is presented in the country profiles.
against harmful social and cultural practices in
Article 21. Article 21(2) states that child marriage

11
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Figure 1. Legal age for marriage in East and Southern African countries

18 years, without exceptions

18 years

16 years

Discrepancy between
girls and boys Ethiopia

South Sudan Kenya

Uganda Rwanda
Burundi
DR Congo
Seychelles
Angola Tanzania

Zambia Comoros
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Botswana Mauritius
United Nations Population Fund, Harmonization
of the Legal Environment of Adolescent Sexual and South Africa Madagascar
Reproductive Health in East and Southern Africa, Lesotho Zimbabwe
UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office,
Johannesburg, 2017 (forthcoming). Swaziland

Chapter 3. Mapping findings minimum age for marriage is now under scrutiny in
many countries. Several respondents acknowledged
and recommendations the impact that large-scale advocacy campaigns have
had, but requested that more attention now be given
The consolidated findings below are drawn from to filling the gap between talking about the issues
key stakeholder interviews and questionnaires. Five and addressing the practical situation for children. In
major themes emerged: advocacy, programming, the words of one informant: “Not much has been done
coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and funding. in regards to putting in place practical initiatives that
Although there is a degree of overlap among them, the explicitly protect children from child marriage.”
categories reflect the main areas of focus and concern
of the stakeholders and mapped programmes. The At the national level, respondents saw their
mapping suggests that these areas are important in responsibility as acting upon and sustaining decision
addressing future knowledge-sharing and collaboration makers’ commitments. This requires ongoing
among partners and countries. engagement with parliamentarians and relevant
ministries to ensure that there is a sustained political
Advocacy buy-in and capacity at the technical level
of government.
Findings
Recommendations
Advocacy efforts have been largely successful; what
is most important now is focusing on the practical Advocate to place the rights of girls high on the
needs of girls. national agenda.
Respondents believed that the current advocacy Advocacy should aim to place child marriage high on
efforts at regional and national levels have increased the agenda and ensure sustained political buy-in and
awareness and strengthened commitment to accelerate technical capacity at all levels through coordinated
action to end child marriage, especially among and harmonized advocacy messages and technical
influential stakeholders such as parliamentarians. assistance directed to all actors. Building on current
For example, as a result of the AU Campaign to advocacy achievements, more attention should be
End Child Marriage and the SADC Model Law, the focused on filling the gap between talking about

12
the issues and addressing the practical situation for The use of mentors and role models for girls is often
children. This means translating the commitment successful.
expressed in national campaigns into large-scale The respondents reported success with using
programmes that prevent and mitigate the effects of mentors and role models; in this way, younger girls
child marriage. can experience first-hand what they can aspire to.
Supporting the development of self-respect and a
Avoid ‘demonizing’ the practice of child marriage, sense of empowerment means that a girl can be better
which could alienate certain target groups. prepared to stand up for herself, rather than accepting
Advocacy messages should be scrutinized to minimize that adults will make decisions for her. Seeing how
potentially negative impact. This includes criminalizing older girls have invested in their own future, learning
the practice, which could alienate those who, in negotiation skills from them in a safe environment,
reality, have very limited choices and believe that and having the opportunity to receive support from
marriage is the best option available to them. Rather, other girls in their community has been shown to have
a less judgemental approach should be taken, which a positive effect. One respondent described this as a
lays out sound evidence for the harmful effects and ‘social vaccine’ for girls. Several respondents also found
proposes alternative solutions that can help address the that when girls understand that child marriage is a
underlying causes that leads to the practice. violation of their right to education, they are more likely
to say no to marriage.
Programming
Respondents appreciated that young people can make
Girl-focused programming a difference by speaking up and defending their rights,
especially when they are supported by an established
Findings structure. The kind of interventions that have helped
young people to speak up are encapsulated in the ‘safe
Programmes have limited focus on very young space’ concept, with a focus on training and leadership
adolescent girls and married children. opportunities for young people and support to build
Most of the responding programmes work with girls confidence. The organization known as the Campaign
across the age range of 10 to 19 years and include both for Female Education (Camfed) reported that their
married and unmarried girls. Only around 20 per cent Learner Guide Programme has shown great potential:
of respondents stated that they specifically work with “The power of CAMA members [an association of Camfed
survivors of child marriage. More programmes that graduates] and other politically and socially engaged local
address the specific needs of very young adolescent young women should not be underestimated in the fight to
girls and already married girls are needed. end child marriage. Supporting these women, who have

13
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

a unique knowledge of and commitment to solving the The role and responsibility of men and boys
challenges facing young marginalized girls, will unleash
their potential to help the next generation in an effective Findings
and sustainable way.”
Many programmes target girls only and may miss
These types of interventions may be appropriate in important avenues for change.
societies where child marriage takes place primarily One respondent asked “Where are the boys and men in
between children of similar ages. However, it was this?” – a fundamental question that appears inadequately
also pointed out that they may have less impact in addressed in child marriage programming. After all, it is
communities where the decision to marry is completely men (and generally not women) that wed children. Thus
in the hands of adults (especially the father and other it is reasonable to think that the men that marry underage
male members of the family), and when a girl is married girls should be held accountable for their actions and
to a man that is older and often unknown to her. learn how to negotiate with families to avoid becoming a
perpetrator of child marriage. Other respondents found
Recommendations that there is a need to sensitize men on the importance of
girls safely continuing their education. It was also noted
Put girls’ empowerment at the forefront of that many interventions in schools are targeting girls only,
programming and seek their involvement. which may miss important avenues to effect change.
To challenge the assumption of girls as passive However, although some of the programmes in the
beneficiaries, programmes should put adolescent mapping report include boys, and/or address boys as their
girls at the forefront of programming and ensure primary target, there is currently no body of evidence that
that they are included in the entire project cycle. looks specifically at the effectiveness of targeting boys in
Programmes that work directly with girls, such child marriage prevention.
as the creation of safe spaces, should use rights-
based approaches. They should aim to build girls’ Recommendations
confidence and enable them to stand up for their
rights. The involvement of older girls and young Explore the role of men and boys in preventing
women as mentors and role models, within a safe child marriage.
environment, are effective strategies for helping Programmes should explore and extend the knowledge
younger girls make positive decisions for the future. and evidence base of how men and boys can be
Interventions should focus both on girls that are engaged in the prevention and mitigation of child
at risk of marriage and also address married marriage. Men and boys should be taught strategies to
girls’ needs. negotiate family pressures to marry underage girls, and

© UNFPA ESARO

14
those that do should be held accountable for the chances of building intrinsic accountability for child
their actions. marriage prevention; it also helps sustain changes in
practices beyond the funding period. A role for NGOs
Communities at the local level may be as providers of technical
assistance in the development of a community-based
Findings theory of change, which would be tailored to shift
attitudes and practices in the local setting.
Interventions are most effective when they are
endorsed by community gatekeepers. Informants stressed the importance of involving girls
To increase general commitment to end child marriage, themselves in any interventions.
respondents highlighted working with, and close to, Working on child marriage prevention and mitigation at
communities, including gatekeepers such as religious, clan the local level can have a liberating effect on an entire
and women leaders as well as government staff, teachers community, especially when its members, including
and political movements, such as youth and women’s girls themselves, are involved in identifying behaviours
leagues and the community law enforcement mechanism. and practices that are perpetuating and deepening the
cycle of poverty.
Respondents reported that religious and traditional
leaders can be supportive to the cause of ending child Social norms are hard to change and require
marriage and that involving chiefs in enforcing bylaws systematic and long-term efforts.
has helped to reduce local child marriage prevalence. A majority of programmes reported the inclusion of
It was acknowledged, however, that it is difficult to community dialogues in their interventions, which
reconcile this with a government legal system that is they used for social mobilization and change. It was
driven by punitive action that criminalizes child marriage. pointed out that social norms on adolescent sexual and
reproductive health and rights are difficult to change
Strengthening the capacity of local government and therefore require continuous, systematic and long-
officers and engaging community structures has term interventions and communication with various
shown positive and sustainable results in the groups in a community.
promotion of child rights.
Respondents highlighted the value of a participatory Recommendations
process – where community members identify the
problem and find solutions while also identifying and Ground programmes in local communities and seek
taking responsibility for the factors that may hinder their partnership.
progress. One programme officer reported: “The Actors should ensure that child marriage prevention
community march to the district commissioner’s office programmes are grounded in, and responsive to,
helped to get buy-in from the district commissioner and the context of target communities. This means that
the police commander, who then got involved in child programmes should be built on a sound analysis
marriage prevention.” of the local child marriage narrative, and that
the development and implementation of national
The mapping found that investing in capacity action plans and strategies include a ‘bottom-up’
development of community members is seen to enhance approach. The national theory of change should be

“The community march to the district

commissioner’s offi ce helped to get buy-in
from the district commissioner and the police
commander, who then got involved in child
marriage prevention.”

15
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

contextualized to the local setting and must be based Respondents believe that parents need to be better
on an understanding of the child marriage trajectory, informed about the right to education so that they
pinpointing the crucial moments of girls’ vulnerability. can support their daughters in staying in school and
It should also address interconnected issues, such demand safe, pedagogically sound, quality education.
as initiation of sexual activity, and other harmful
practices, such as FGM/C, dropping out of school, Across the region respondents noted that the capacity
becoming pregnant and entering the labour force. This and number of secondary schools are too low,
entails acknowledging that children marry for a variety meaning that children are required to travel far or
of reasons, including escaping family abuse, family organize accommodations – for example, in student
hostels for weekly boarding. With little accountability
poverty or the desire to become an adult, thereby
attached to their operation, hostels were reported
gaining some measure of independence and power.
to be inadequately supervised. Moreover, they were
In contexts of children marrying children of a similar
often unsafe and unhealthy environments for young
age, programmes must recognize children’s agency:
people pursuing their education, exposing them to
Children marrying (and also divorcing) other children
increased risks of transactional sex, pregnancy, sexually
requires different responses than adult men marrying
transmitted infections and gender-based violence.
girls and should reflect input from community and
grass-roots organizations. This will help ensure that Targeted interventions to those most in need of
programmes address issues underlying child marriage, education have been shown to be successful.
such as gender inequality, and effectively respond to Camfed works with multidimensional forms of support.
factors that trigger or accelerate exposure to risks. It has demonstrated that targeted interventions that
actively support access to learning for those most in
Efforts should be made to strengthen capacity of local need show improvements in beneficiaries’ attendance
government officers and community structures to and learning outcomes. The results from other
promote child rights within the government. programmes that use singular, conditional cash transfer
The capacity of local communities should be interventions without functional support do not show
strengthened to support programming. Such capacity- the same level of improvement. Camfed further points
building should involve all categories of local leaders out that while cash transfers have been shown to
and professionals that are supportive of the cause to improve access to education, there is limited evidence
end child marriage and to develop and enforce bylaws. on the impact on learning outcomes. This is a crucial
distinction, since access alone does not guarantee that
In addition, a sense of local ownership needs to be
students will receive a quality education.
established among service staff in health services
and educational settings to support the process of
Out-of-school adolescents, including married girls,
internalizing prevention and mitigation practices.
require targeted attention.
Community involvement must be sustained throughout
It is the responsibility of the national education body to
the project cycle so that a sense of accountability ensure that out-of-school adolescents can return to and
for child marriage prevention develops. This is how succeed within the educational system. This mapping
changes in the practice will be sustained beyond the did not receive input from any programme that
funding period. It is especially important that girls specifically addresses the systemic changes that are
themselves to take a leading role in interventions. needed for ensuring that students return to school after
marriage or pregnancy. Schools need to be equipped to
Education give these girls a realistic opportunity to thrive, which
would include care facilities for babies and support to
Findings delay further pregnancies.

Support for education is important in preventing Recommendations

child marriage.
Structural, large-scale education initiatives, including Ensure that the education system can anticipate
support for girls to complete primary education and and respond to the multiple needs and demands of
improve their access to secondary education, are adolescent girls.
seen as important by responders. Yet there is a lack of As awareness increases, actors need to ensure that
evidence on the timing and types of interventions that the school system is able to anticipate and respond to
work best in different contexts. increased demand from girls to access education. It is

16
imperative to implement large-scale pilot interventions reproductive health services) directly to girls.25 The
with child marriage prevention in mind. For example, reason for this is unclear. It may be that some service
pressure to marry may be more pronounced at the delivery organizations do not recognize their role in
end of primary and the start of secondary school, and child marriage prevention and mitigation and therefore
educational systems must be prepared to respond do not participate in forums where other organizations
appropriately. Programmes should be evidence-based that work on this issue are found. The lack of input
and build on current knowledge about combining from service delivery organizations may also indicate
conditional cash transfers with functional support that few services explicitly address child marriage and
(mentors). Educational interventions should proactively its consequences, such as early pregnancy, potential
support the reintegration and retention of married pregnancy-related morbidity, and sexual and gender-
and pregnant girls in secondary school; this includes based violence.
care facilities for babies and support to delay further
pregnancies. Proposed large-scale programmes should Recommendations
be rigorously evaluated to produce strong evidence for
replicable and scalable models. Ensure that health and social protection services are
responsive to the practical needs of adolescent girls.
The school curriculum should include comprehensive, Government and other providers of health services
age-appropriate and gender-sensitive sexuality should ensure increased access to social protection and
education, which should be taught by trained adolescent girl-friendly services. These should include
instructors. In addition to sexuality information, schools contraceptives to delay pregnancy and prevent sexually
should facilitate access to adolescent-friendly sexual transmitted infections, including HIV, and counselling
and reproductive health services. about sexual and gender-based violence, based on
individual needs, marital status and mobility of girls.
An accountability mechanism should be instituted at
the national level with a mandate to assess school Coordination
safety and the quality of education. The mandate
should encompass ancillary services such as hostels to Findings
ensure that these provide adequately supervised, safe
and healthy environments. Strengthened coordination of programmes and
increased focus on the comparative advantage of
Parents need to be informed about their children’s right individual organizations can enhance results.
to education, so that they can support their daughters While a majority of responding programmes indicated
in remaining in school and demand safe, pedagogically that they implement a wide range of interventions,
sound, quality education. In some settings, it might be they proved to be limited in terms of number of girls
appropriate to articulate this as a responsibility that reached and geographic coverage; in some cases,
parents and guardians are held accountable for. they felt they spread themselves thin in trying to cover
too many activities. More than half of the programmes
Educational interventions should be implemented to indicated that they address at least seven of the eight
establish a pathway for girls from education to economic programme areas. According to key stakeholders, it may
empowerment with job opportunities in mind. be necessary to limit the range of activities and focus on
areas of comparative advantage to ensure quality.
Health service delivery and social protection
When asked what would improve the effectiveness
Findings of their own programming, respondents answered
‘coordination’ and ‘collaboration’ with others and
Input from organizations that provided health service ‘capacity development’ for their own organizations.
delivery or social protection was unexplainably low, Simply knowing who is working where can have a
perhaps because few services explicitly address the significant impact on the effectiveness of any one
consequences of child marriage. programme.
The mapping received input from only five
organizations that provide services (such as

25
Distinguishing between different types of organizations is not clear-cut since many organizations implement a combination of programmes. However, a distinction was made
between service delivery organizations and those undertaking campaigns/advocacy and girl-focused programming.

17
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

“The power of CAMA members

[an association of Camfed
graduates] and other politically
and socially engaged local
young women should not be
underestimated in the fi ght to
end child marriage. Supporting
these women, who have a unique
knowledge of and commitment
to solving the challenges facing
young marginalized girls, will
unleash their potential to help the
next generation in an effective
and sustainable way.”

© UNFPA Ethiopia

18
While coordination mechanisms exist in most Recommendations
countries, they can be improved, and should ideally be
government led. Ensure that programmes function as a strategic part
While a majority of respondents underscored the of a wider national strategy and (costed) action plan,
need for more and better quality coordination, only informed by an agreed theory of change.
four indicated that they are not currently part of any Coordination is intrinsic to the development and
coordination effort.26 Coordination is important for implementation of a context-specific theory of
the practical implementation of programmes. As one change. It is also essential in articulating roles and
respondent noted: “When different stakeholders work accountabilities, ensuring that individual organizations
together as a team, involving and informing each other on share the workload. A database of all ongoing child
progress, programme implementation becomes easier and marriage projects at district and national levels is one
becomes more successful.” step in that direction.

Respondents’ requests for improved coordination can Developing a national strategy and a (costed)
be interpreted as an appeal for better collaboration national action plan should aim to increase both the
mechanisms and partnerships with role clarity, more effectiveness of organizations and the general sense
trust among actors, and formalized delegation of of commitment among players. The resulting strategy
responsibilities among actors and services. There should be widely disseminated within relevant state
is a sense that many programmes work in ‘bubbles’ institutions and to civil society organizations. The
with few linkages, articulated roles or accountability dissemination process should aim to increase linkages
to the national change process. Several programmes with other programmes and actors. Where appropriate,
report what seems to be an unrealistic assortment of the government may take the lead in national and
programme indicators. This could merely signify that regional coordination. The coordination mechanism can
there are no other services in the area, but it may also be supported by a reporting system for child marriage
suggest a suboptimal coordination effort. that involves key government partners and other actors,
where appropriate. Coordination activities should be
The mapping indicates that the presence of a national recognized as a specific activity and have a budget line
strategy and a (costed) national action plan increases in the costed national action plan.
the general sense of commitment among players
and ensures that the government takes the lead and At the national level, identify the comparative
is accountable for the coordination. Wider and more advantage of organizations and determine the
inclusive dissemination of such strategies and plans to programme interventions with the greatest impact.
state institutions and civil society organizations seems This means ensuring the right mix of partnership for
to have a positive effect on the ability to articulate a results, which may entail moving beyond traditional
theory of change. partners and actors. The capacity of individual actors
should also be enhanced, to address the practical needs
The process of developing a theory of changes tends of girls seeking to delay marriage, cope as a child bride,
to encourage coordination and collaboration. or divorce their spouses.
Analysis suggests that the process of establishing
an agreed theory of change at national and regional Monitoring and evaluation
settings supports the type of coordination that leads
to collaboration and partnerships. It may be that an Findings
accepted, context-specific theory of change allows
actors to identify and pledge their commitment based Monitoring is regarded as an integral part of the
on their comparable strengths. Accountability can be coordination and accountability process.
established based on commonly agreed responsibilities. Respondents highlighted the need for established
It is doubtful, however, that this can be systematically frameworks for systemic monitoring across government
implemented without strong leadership from structures that are responsible for addressing
the government. child marriage.

26
A majority (88 per cent) indicated that they take part in information-sharing meetings (that is, who does what where) at national, regional and/or subregional levels. About
half take part in joint needs assessment and planning, collaborative evidence-gathering and evaluation endeavours, and 65 per cent indicated that they are part of national-level
networks, meetings and forums.

19
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Two thirds of the programmes in the mapping include that make do with limited resources and funding, but
research and evidence-gathering and a third reported still manage to achieve results. Several respondents
that their interventions had been evaluated. The called upon the donor community to recognize small
relatively low rate of completed evaluations is explained organizations and make funding available to expand
by the fact that many programmes in the mapping their programmes. But respondents also raised caveats
are still in the early stages of the programme cycle. in regard to what civil society organizations can
However, some smaller NGOs stated that they were not accomplish: The magnitude of the problem requires
able to afford an independent evaluation. firm commitment and long-term support, including
financing from the authorities. Moreover, there is
Recommendations a danger in (over)reliance on community-based
organizations for driving the change process, since this
Regularly monitor and evaluate programmes as well may influence the scalability and sustainability of
as changes in attitudes and practices. the resources.
Programmes must be regularly monitored: It is
important to assess changes in attitudes and practices Recommendations
in health, education, women’s affairs, the justice
sector, police and other government sectors and Develop scalable models to increasing the capacity
among non-State actors at national, regional and of programmes, backed up by firm commitment and
local levels. In addition, government and national long-term support, including financing.
actors need to support partners to strengthen, The numbers of affected girls are enormous, and
analyse and make use of available data, such current programmes do not have the capacity to meet
as school drop-out rates (through an education the needs. It is therefore crucial to develop readily
management information system), adolescent scalable models at subnational or national levels, using
pregnancies (through a health management existing platforms in strong sectors, such as schools
information system) and delay in age of marriage. and health systems. The magnitude of the problem
requires firm commitment and sustained support,
Funding including financing.

Findings Seek large-scale, multi-year funding beyond

traditional donors.
A wider range of funding sources is needed to The scale of programming needed to effectively
effectively address the magnitude of the problem. address child marriage requires significant funding.
Child marriage prevention and mitigation is both The current reliance on resources from UNICEF and
time- and resource-intensive. The study found that UNFPA needs to be supplemented by funding that
many countries and programmes, both those funded is significantly larger in scale. This means mobilizing
by governments and civil society organizations, relay and sustaining political will among governments, civil
on a small number of donors, especially UNICEF and society organizations, the private sector and donors –
UNFPA. This implies a need to expand the funding beyond those that are traditional contributors – to
base to ensure that child marriage programming is plan, budget, finance and implement large-scale, multi-
implemented on a scale where it can have a significant year interventions.
impact on the numbers of young people affected.

Small organizations are accomplishing a lot with

few resources, but they are no substitute for firm
commitment and long-term financial and other
support on the part of the government.
The mapping found that many child marriage
programmes are implemented by small organizations

20
Part 2. Partnerships
and programmes

© UNFPA Ethiopia

Chapter 4. Partnerships: campaign was initially planned for two years, but was
extended to 2017. The purpose of the campaign is to
regional and national accelerate efforts to end child marriage in Africa by
stakeholders raising awareness of the negative impact of the practice
and the potential of countries to harness demographic
dividends and accelerate economic growth.
Regional stakeholders
The campaign promotes legal and policy reform and
Below is a list of regional initiatives and organizations
the protection and promotion of human rights through
working in the area of child marriage in East and
regional and national capacity development, advocacy
Southern Africa. and technical support.

African Union campaign to end child marriage The campaign has resulted in the adoption of an
African Common Position on child marriage by heads
The African Union (AU) Campaign to End Child of state in June 2015 and the 1st African Girls Summit,
Marriage was launched in 2014 during the 4th AU held in Zambia in November 2015. The campaign
Conference of Ministers of Social Development, in has also succeeded in putting child marriage on the
collaboration with the Ford Foundation, UNICEF, development agenda of AU Member States, most of
UNFPA, Plan International and the African Committee which had not developed a national response to child
of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The marriage before the launch of the campaign. As of May

21
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

2017, 19 countries in Africa, including seven in East been adopted and put to practical use in 21 countries.
and Southern Africa,27 had launched the campaign, The Human Rights Commission of Mozambique, for
and a growing number of governments are developing example, has produced a report on child marriage
national strategies or action plans that are aimed and teenage pregnancy, and the Malawi Human
specifically at decreasing child marriage. Rights Commission identified 80 traditional chiefs
and established a Commonwealth Chiefs’ Caucus that
Furthermore, the campaign has supported capacity works to formulate local bylaws against child marriage.
development for traditional and religious leaders, In rural districts, the Chiefs’ Caucus, together with the
parliamentarians, the media and ministries of health Commonwealth Network against Child Marriages in
and gender and works to create awareness of the Malawi (a network of young men and women, including
socio-economic impact of child marriage by building survivors of child marriage) advocate for young people
social movements and social mobilization at the to stand up for their rights and to stay in school.
national and grass-roots levels. It aims to reach the
community level by supporting the development of Girls Not Brides
national strategies and action plans, and works to build
on existing activities of governments and partners to Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than
end child marriage. The campaign has been engaging 700 civil society organizations committed to ending
directly with communities through town hall meetings child marriage. The partnership was initiated in
across participating countries and through advocacy September 2011 by The Elders, a group of independent
and social mobilization, with support from the AU Child global leaders working together for peace and human
Marriage Goodwill Ambassador, Mrs. Gumbonzvanda, rights, as part of their efforts to draw more attention to
chief executive officer for Rozaria Memorial Trust and the harmful practices that hold girls and women back,
former general secretary of the World YWCA. and encouraging and empowering others to work to
create a world without child marriage. The working
The campaign has developed a comprehensive principle is that social change cannot succeed without
monitoring and results framework that is used for community engagement. Towards that end, members
country-specific reporting of progress; monitoring and of Girls Not Brides raise awareness of the harmful
evaluation are integral aspects of all activities. impact of child marriage by encouraging open, inclusive
and informed discussion at the community, regional,
The AU campaign and its activities related to advocacy national and international level. They also facilitate
and capacity-building of national stakeholders are learning and coordination among organizations working
supported by the Commonwealth, Ford Foundation, to end child marriage and mobilize policy, financial and
Girls Not Brides, the Inter-African Committee on other necessary support.
Traditional Practices, Plan International, Save the
Children, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, Voluntary Girls Not Brides partnerships in the 12 countries with
Service Overseas, World Vision and the Young the highest rates of child marriage in East and Southern
Women’s Christian Association, among others. Africa include almost 150 national and international
NGOs and community-based organizations. Such
Commonwealth partnerships encourage locally based organizations
to engage with their governments to ensure the
The commitment from Commonwealth heads of campaign’s goals are achieved in partnership with civil
state to address child marriage has grown stronger society. Girls Not Brides was also a key partner to the
over three successive meetings (2011, 2013 and SADC Parliamentary Forum in the development of the
2015), indicating the importance of parliamentarians SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and
advocating for change in their home countries. The Protecting Children Already in Marriage, which was
Commonwealth Secretariat encourages States to adopted in 2016.
share best practices and experience through the
Commonwealth Roundtable on Early and Forced Inter-African committee on traditional practices
Marriage. Within Member States, national human
rights institutions play a pivotal role in addressing child Child marriage is one of 13,000 identified harmful
marriage. The 2015 Kigali Declaration, ‘Moving from traditional practices in Africa. The Inter-African
aspiration to action to prevent and eliminate child, Committee on Traditional Practices disseminates
early and forced marriage in the Commonwealth’, has advocacy messages through the media and involves

27
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

22
decision makers and religious leaders in the fight advocacy strategy that facilitates learning and
against such practices, including FGM/C and child strengthens collective impact, which can lead to
marriage. It also seeks to sensitize communities to broader changes across the region.
the negative outcomes of FGM/C and of the need for
women and girls to assume greater autonomy. Population Council

FGM/C is the main focus for the Inter-African The Population Council conducts research and delivers
Committee, however the practice is interlinked with solutions to improve lives around the world. The
child marriage as a constituent part of the rites organization’s research agenda is focused on gathering
of passage that are celebrated in many African evidence on what works best to delay child marriage,
communities. The route to adulthood involves many end FGM/C and keep girls in school.
steps and stages in African societies. FGM/C is part
of that context and is connected to the training that Save the Children
young girls are given to become good wives. If FGM/C
is performed on girls aged 8 to 12 years, it then follows Save the Children takes a comprehensive and
that the girls must get married soon after. For the holistic approach to its work on child marriage.
Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices, Its programming is based on the need for quality
it is essential that, where FGM/C is performed, the education, access to health services, and child rights.
sensitization programmes to curb the practice should To complement its work with children, it is also
also be addressed in the context of preventing working with leaders at all levels. Save the Children has
child marriage. developed and is implementing the ‘Choices, Voices,
Promises’ programme focusing on discriminatory
International Planned Parenthood Federation gender norms across three levels: the individual level
African Region (working with girls and boys), the family level and the
community level. The programme works across all
Young people are at the forefront of the International three to ensure that girls and boys feel empowered
Planned Parenthood Federation’s (IPPF) work. Through to challenge the gender inequality and discrimination
its Member Associations it provides youth-friendly they face, and that family and community members
services, including contraception and comprehensive support necessary changes. Programme evaluations
sexuality education. The organization’s community- have found that participating girls (and boys) are more
level programmes address child marriage as an likely to talk to their parents about the challenges they
important aspect of sexual and reproductive health face, including staying in school and delaying marriage.
among youths. The Regional Office supports Member Similarly, participating fathers and mothers are more
Associations through capacity development and has likely to recognize the dangers of child marriage
undertaken a mapping of laws that are significant and their daughters’ potential to contribute to the
for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the community.
context of child marriage in six countries. IPPF is also
encouraging national Member Associations to join Save the Children joined the AU Campaign to End
networks to promote and ensure that youth themselves Child Marriage in 2014 and is supporting its advocacy
are heard, in particular on issues concerning sexuality activities; the accountability, monitoring and evaluation
and reproductive health and rights. IPPF’s future plan aspects of the campaign; and processes to reform
is to focus on preventing child marriage, separating it national laws to raise the minimum age of consent
from the mainstream youth programme, and to develop for marriage.
specific objectives and milestones for monitoring
and evaluation. The Southern African Development Community
Parliamentary Forum
Plan International
The SADC Parliamentary Forum is a regional inter-
Plan International is currently implementing a parliamentary body composed of members of
programme called 18+ Ending Child Marriages in parliament from SADC Member States, representing
Southern Africa. It is based on a review of what drives over 3,500 parliamentarians in the SADC region. The
child marriage in the region and the key principles aim of the forum is to provide a platform to support
and programmes that can be taken to scale. The and improve regional integration through parliamentary
programme is innovative in its multi-level and involvement, and to promote best practices in the role
subregional approach. This includes a subregional of parliaments in regional integration and cooperation.

23
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

The specific objectives of the forum are to address 2017 also identifies ending child marriage as one of
issues including, but not limited to, the promotion four targeted priorities. Specialized programming on
of human rights, gender equality, good governance, child marriage started in 2014 and has further been
democracy and transparency; promotion of peace, strengthened through the UNFPA-UNICEF Global
security and stability; hastening the pace of economic Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage.
cooperation, development and integration on the basis Child marriage programmes in UNICEF are focused
of equity and mutual benefits; facilitating networking on child and social protection, gender equality and
with other inter-parliamentary organizations; promoting education as well as a safe learning environment and
the participation of NGOs, business and intellectual improved educational quality, which includes school
communities in SADC activities; familiarizing the infrastructure (the aim is to ensure that girls stay and
people of SADC with the aims and objectives of the learn in school).
organization; and informing SADC of popular views on
development and issues affecting the region. The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to
Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage
Southern Africa Litigation Centre
This global programme, jointly implemented by UNFPA
The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) was and UNICEF, focuses on 12 countries worldwide, four
instrumental in the preparations for the SADC Model of which are in East and Southern Africa: Ethiopia,
Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia.
Children Already in Marriage. SALC’s analysis of the
recent decline in child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa At the regional level, the global programme works with
and SADC countries is raising concern that the decline governments and civil society partners at all levels to
is limited to girls in the richest urban communities and promote and protect the human rights of girls. This
those with secondary and higher educations. In areas includes assistance to countries for the development
outside urban centres and among those with lower or of relevant policies and programmes as well as the
no education, poverty, gender inequality, insecurity and strengthening of monitoring and evaluation systems to
tradition continue to perpetuate child marriage. SALC gauge progress towards ending child marriage. Under
has 11 programmatic areas, and although addressing the programme, UNFPA and UNICEF are supporting
child rights is not a stand-alone programme, SALC the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage. In addition,
will support efforts by organizations and individuals to UNFPA conducted a regional review of adolescent
protect and promote child rights in the region. sexual and reproductive health and rights laws and
policies in all 23 countries in the East and Southern
United Nations Population Fund Africa region. It also supported the drafting and
dissemination of the SADC Model Law and is currently
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the providing technical assistance to the drafting of a
lead UN agency for delivering a world where every Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Bill for the
pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every East and Southern Africa Community. The programme
young person’s potential is fulfilled. Its Strategic Plan is currently partnering with Girls Not Brides and the
for 2014-2017 identifies child marriage as a priority SADC Parliamentary Forum to develop a toolkit that
at the impact level, and under its work on adolescents can guide advocacy and domestication of the Model
and youth (Outcome 2), Output 8 is dedicated to Law in member countries.
adolescent girls and child marriage. The programmatic
implications are further elaborated in the 2013 Strategy Voluntary Service Overseas
on Adolescents and Youth, which is operationalized in
the multi-country initiative called Action for Adolescent Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is implementing a
Girls and the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to two-year (2016-2018) programme called Taking Action
Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. to End Child Marriage in Southern Africa. It focuses
on the health-related impacts of child marriage, while
United Nations Children’s Fund also recognizing the interconnections with sexual and
reproductive rights, socio-economic issues and the
The United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) work imperative of investing in young people. The current
on child marriage is a corporate priority, reflected in programme is based on initial community consultations
the UNICEF Strategic Plan for 2014-2017 at both the and research with young people, who defined the
impact and outcome levels, under Child Protection practice of child marriage as one of the main barriers
Outcome 6. UNICEF’s Gender Action Plan for 2014- to their well-being. Furthering the need for specific and

24
detailed understanding of child marriage in each of the
participating countries, VSO is collaborating with the
World Health Organization to explore the drivers of
child marriage, while involving youth in the formulation
of effective strategies. The results of their research
will provide direction to the specific content of future
programme activities.

VSO is also working in advocacy and capacity

development, which will continue. It has supplied
parliamentarians with contextualized evidence-based
child marriage information and trained members
of parliament from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,
Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe on the impact of
child marriage and effective prevention strategies.
Parliamentarian volunteers from Ireland, the
Netherlands and the United Kingdom are working
with parliamentarians from SADC countries to initiate
legal reform in areas relevant to the prevention of
child marriage. These areas include social protection
and rights associated with education, especially in the
context of childcare options for girl students
with children.

VSO has a memorandum of understanding with the

African Union, which recognizes VSO as the lead civil
society organization in the campaign to end child
marriage. At the same time, VSO works with other
networks, such as Girls Not Brides.

Young Women’s Christian Association

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA)

is a faith-based organization that advances the
empowerment, leadership and rights of women, young
women and girls in more than 120 countries around the
world. The YWCA defines child marriage as a form of
gender-based violence and an unacceptable violation of
the rights of girls and young women. The organization
invests in education and economic empowerment of
women and girls to prevent child marriage; in health,
social and other programmes to support girls already
married; and in appropriate legislative measures to
terminate the marriage, if desired.

National Stakeholders
Table 1 provides a listing of programmes, by country,
of national stakeholders involved in child marriage that
responded to the request for information. The list is
based on self-reporting by partners.

25
© UNFPA South Africa
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Commissariat à
la Solidarité, à la
Protection Sociale
et à la Promotion
du Genre and
Comoros x - - x x x x x Girls, married 15 to 19
the Fédération
Nationale des
Associations des
Sages Femmes en
Union des Comores

Democratic Aide Rapide aux

Girls, unmarried &
Republic of the Victimes des x x x x x x x - 10 to 19
married
Congo Catastrophes

Cadre de
Democratic Récupération et
Republic of the d’Encadrement pour - - - x - x - - Girls, in school 12 to 19
Congo l’Épanouissement
Intégral des Jeunes

Groupe
Democratic
d’Animateurs pour
Republic of the - - x x - x x - Girls, survivors 15 to 19
la Promotion et
Congo
Échanges Culturels

Réseau des Jeunes

Democratic Engager contre
Girls, in and out of
Republic of the les Mariages x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
school
Congo et Grossesses
Précoces

Girls, unmarried &

Eritrea Ministry of Health x x - - x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 19
school

26
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Girls, unmarried &
Eritrea UNICEF x - - x - - - - married, in and out of 10 to 20 ++
school

Girls, unmarried &

National Union of
Eritrea x x x x x x x x married, in and out of 15 to 20 ++
Eritrean Women
school

National Union of Girls, unmarried,

Eritrea Eritrean Youth and x x x x x x - x married, in and out of 10 to 14
Students school

Afar Pastoralist
Girls, in and out of
Ethiopia Development x - x x x x x - 10 to 20 ++
school
Association

Afar Women’s and Girls, unmarried &

Ethiopia Children’s Affairs x - x x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 20 ++
Bureau, Samara school

Bureau of Women
Girls, unmarried &
Ethiopia and Children’s x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
married
Affairs

Ministry of Women
Girls, unmarried &
Ethiopia and Children’s - x x x x x x x 10 to 20 ++
married
Affairs

Mujejeguwa-
Locka Women Girls, unmarried &
Ethiopia x x x x x x x - 10 to 20 ++
Development married
Association

Norwegian Church Girls, unmarried &

Ethiopia x x x x - x x x 10 to 19
Aid married

27
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Tigray National
Regional State Girls, unmarried &
Ethiopia x x x x x x x - 15 to 19
Bureau of Women married
Affairs

Girls, unmarried,
Ethiopia UNFPA x x x x x x x x married & survivors, in 10 to 19
and out of school

Girls, unmarried,
World Vision
Ethiopia x x x x - x x - married & survivors, in 15 to 19
Ethiopia
and out of school

UNFPA – Girls, unmarried &

Madagascar Adolescent and - x - x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 20 ++
youth school

Girls, unmarried &

UNFPA – Gender-
Madagascar x - x x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 20 ++
based violence
school

Not working directly

Madagascar UNICEF x x x x x x x x
with girls

UNFPA – Safeguard
Girls, in and out of
Malawi Young People x - - x x - x x 10 to 24
school
Programme

UNFPA- Gender
Equality and Girls, in and out of
Malawi x - x x x - - - 10 to 20 ++
Women/Girl school
Empowerment

Girls, in and out of

Malawi ActionAid Malawi x x x x x x - - 10 to 20 ++
school

28
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Centre for Social
Malawi Concern and x x x x x x x x Girls, out of school 15 to 19
Development

Girls Empowerment Girls, unmarried &

Malawi x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
Network married

Girls, unmarried &

Plan International
Malawi x x x x x x x x married, in and out of 10 to 19
Malawi
school

Ujamaa Pamodzi
Malawi x - x x x x x x Girls, in school 10 to 19
Africa

UNFPA, UNESCO, Girls, unmarried &

Mozambique UN Women, UNDP x x x x x x x x married, 10 to 24
and UNICEF in and out of school

Women and Law in Not working directly

Mozambique x - - x x x x x
Southern Africa with girls

Civil Society Forum Girls, unmarried &

Mozambique x - x x x x x - 10 to 19
for Child Rights married

Girl Move Girls, unmarried, in

Mozambique x x x x x x x x 12 to 15
Foundation school

Plan International Girls, unmarried &

Mozambique x x x x x x x x 10 to 14
Mozambique married

UNFPA -
Girls, unmarried &
Adolescent and
South Sudan x x - - x - - - married, 10 to 24
youth-friendly
in and out of school
health services

29
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
UNFPA – Gender- Not working directly
South Sudan x - - x x x - -
based violence with girls

Confident Children Girls, unmarried &

South Sudan x x x x x x - x 10 to 19
out of Conflict married

Girls, unmarried &

Plan International
South Sudan x x x x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 19
South Sudan
school

Girls, unmarried &

South Sudan UNICEF x - x x x x x x 10 to 20 ++
married

Campaign for
Girls, in and out of
Tanzania Female Education x x x x x x x x 15 to 19
school
Tanzania

Centre Against
Girls, in and out of
Tanzania Gender-based x x x x x x x - 15 to 19
school
Violence

Children’s Dignity Girls, in and out of

Tanzania x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
forum school

Forum for
African Women x Not working directly
Tanzania x x x x x x x
Educationalists with girls
Tanzania

Girls, unmarried &

Plan International
Tanzania x x x x x x x x married, in and out of 10 to 19
Tanzania
school

Joy for Children Girls, unmarried &

Uganda x - - x x - x x 15 to 19
Uganda married

30
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Girls, married &
Uganda BRAC Uganda x x x x x x x x unmarried, out of 10 to 19
school

Straight Talk
Uganda x x x x x x x x Girls, in school 10 to 19
Foundation

Girls, unmarried,
The REACH
Uganda x - - x x x x - married & survivors, out 10 to 19
Programme
of school

Girls, unmarried &

Uganda UNFPA x x x x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 19
school

White Ribbon Girls, unmarried &

Uganda - - x x x x x x 10 to 19
Alliance married

World Vision Girls, unmarried &

Uganda x x x x x x x x 10 to 20 ++
Uganda married

Forum for
African Women Girls, unmarried &
Zambia x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
Educationalists of married
Zambia

Plan International Girls, unmarried &

Zambia x x x x x x x x 10 to 14
Zambia married

Girls, unmarried &

Zambia UNFPA x x x x x x x - married, in and out of 10 to 19
school

31
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Table 1. Overview of programmes implemented by national stakeholders involved in issues relating to child marriage in the 12 countries mapped (continued)

ASSET-BUILDING

EMPOWERMENT
ECONOMIC

EDUCATION

AWARENESS
COMMUNITY

AND SERVICES
INFORMATION
HEALTH AND RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL AND

SERVICES
PROTECTION
SOCIAL

POLICY REFORM
LEGAL AND

EVIDENCE
RESEARCH AND

BENEFICIARIES

(YEARS)
AGE RANGE
Girls, unmarried &
Zambia UNICEF x x x x x x x x married, in and out of 10 to 20 ++
school

Women and Law in Girls, unmarried &

Zambia x - x x x x x x 10 to 19
Southern Africa married

Young Women’s
Christian Girls, unmarried &
Zambia x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
Association of married
Zambia

Campaign for
Girls, unmarried &
Zimbabwe Female Education x x x x x x x x 15 to 19
married
Zimbabwe

Girls, unmarried &

Plan International
Zimbabwe x x x x x x x x married, in and out of 10 to 19
Zimbabwe
school

Tag a life Girls, unmarried &

Zimbabwe x x x x x x x x 10 to 19
International Trust married

Girls, unmarried &

UNFPA
Zimbabwe x x x - x - - - married, in and out of 10 to 19
school

Girls, unmarried &

Rozaria Memorial
Zimbabwe x - x - - - - x married, in and out of 10 to 19
Trust
school

32
Chapter 5. Programmes: Government commitment and
policy environment
by country
The 2005 Comorian Family Code fixes the legal age of
Comoros marriage at 18 years. However, under Muslim law, the
age of majority and eligibility for marriage is 14 to 15
An estimated 32 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in years; in some cases, marriages may be arranged even
the Comoros were married by age 18, and 10 per cent earlier, especially for girls.34 The lack of a uniform legal
were married before age 15.28 Although child marriage age for marriage makes law enforcement problematic.
is recognized as a problem, attitudes, customs and The 2017 National Child Protection Policy provides for
harmful practices persist in Comorian society. A lack interventions aimed at protecting girls who are victims
of data and qualitative research prevents an in-depth of child marriage. However, essential prevention,
analysis of the problem, the drivers and effective ways rehabilitation and reintegration services for vulnerable
of addressing child marriage. children are in the formative stage and lack human
resources and materials.35 A policy of legislative reform
Drivers of child marriage for improved child protection is in progress.36

Comoros is a low-income country. According to the Coordination

last household survey, conducted in 2014, almost 18
per cent of the population live under the international There is no national coordination forum for child
poverty line.29 The incidence of poverty is highest in marriage in the Comoros.
rural areas and on the island of Mwali.
Programmes and partners
In 2015, the adolescent birth rate in the Comoros was
67 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19.30 Culturally, pregnancy Commissariat à la Solidarité, à la Protection Sociale et
before marriage is not accepted, and parents may à la Promotion du Genre (government) and Federation
step in and arrange a marriage to preclude an out-of- Nationale des Associations des Sages Femmes en
Union des Comores – FNASFUC (NGO).
wedlock pregnancy. Contraceptives are available, but
are generally not accepted by parents, and it is not easy
Title of programme
for a girl to secretly use contraceptives. The country’s
Advocacy and Sensitization Project.
youth centres have contraceptives available, but such
centres are non-existent in rural areas. Rates of sexual
Objectives
violence among adolescents are high: Nearly 13.9 per
To raise awareness about the National Child
cent of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced
Protection Policy.
some form of physical or sexual violence.31
Description
Only 60 per cent of boys and 50 per cent of girls are The purpose of the project was to sensitize local
enrolled in primary school (net enrolment), and the leaders, teachers, parents and girls themselves with
gender gap widens in secondary school.32 Very few the aim of preventing child marriage and improving
girls progress to university, since that involves moving the health of married girls. The project provided
overseas to France or neighbouring countries. It is quality sexual and reproductive health information
suggested that this lack of opportunity also affects and improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual
girls’ decisions about marriage.33 and reproductive health services, including modern

28
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on the DHS 2012.
29
World Bank website, www.worldbank.org/en/country/comoros/overview (accessed 27 July 2017).
30
World Bank website, Data, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT (accessed 27 July 2017).
31
DHS 2012.
32
UNICEF website, https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/comoros_2674.html (accessed 27 July 2017).
33
Stakeholder interview.
34
Stakeholder interview.
35
Stakeholder interview.
36
United Nations Children’s Fund, ‘Comoros, Country programme document 2015-2019’, UN document E/ICEF/2014/P/L.5, UNICEF, New York.

33
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

contraception. It aimed to improve birth and marriage The size of the total target population is not known,
registration of girls who are victims of child marriage. however about 80,000 people have benefited from the
outreach and sensitization sessions.
The project supported national-level policy
development and legal reform and contributed to the Partners
development of national strategies and action plans. It Fondation Sanofi Espoir, UNFPA, UNICEF and
also worked to enhance law enforcement mechanisms Coopération Française.
and supported a national data collection system on
Funding
trafficking, violence and harmful practices.
Fondation Sanofi Espoir.

Programme scope
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The project was implemented from June 2016 to April
2017 (11 months). Thirty-seven per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were
It targeted girls under the age of 18, victims of early married before age 18, and 10 per cent were married
and forced marriage and girls at risk of dropping out of before age 15.37 While rates of child marriage are high
school. It also addressed teachers, local authorities such countrywide, they tend to be higher in rural versus
as religious leaders, village leaders and cadis (judges), urban areas.38 In 2010, women aged 20 to 24 living
and individual girls’ families, especially parents. in rural areas were 1.7 times more likely to be married

UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on DHS 2013-2014.

37

Male, Chata, and Quentin T. Wodon, 2016, ‘Basic Profile of Child Marriage in the Democratic Republic of Congo’, Health, Nutrition, and Population Knowledge Brief:
38

Child marriage series, World Bank Group, Washington, D.C.,

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/448331467831741265/Basic-profile-of-child-marriage-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-Congo (accessed 27 July 2017).

© UNFPA Ethiopia

34
before age 18 than their urban counterparts. The Coordination
lengthy military conflict in the DRC has increased the
incidence of child marriage by creating a climate where Coordination meetings are conducted by the Ministry
sexual violence is widespread, with limited rule of law of Gender, in which all partners and NGOs working
and impunity for perpetrators. on child marriage participate. There is also an NGO
network for organizations working on the Red Card
Drivers of child marriage programme: Youth Forum on ICPD and MDGs, known
as YOUTHFIM; Afia MAMA; Cadre de Récupération
The underlying factors for child marriage in the DRC et d’Encadrement pour l’Épanouissement des Jeunes,
include gender inequality, poverty, local customs and or CREEIJ; Wings of the Hearts; Ligue pour la Zone
harmful cultural practices. A large proportion of DRC Afrique pour la Promotion de l’Enfant et de l’Élève, or
society, especially in rural areas, believe that girls LIZADEL; Groupement des Agents de la Population et
should marry at the onset of menstruation (usually de l’Etat Civil, or GAPEC; and Confédération Nationale
10 to 12 years old).39 After that, a girl is considered de la Jeunesse Islamique en RDC, or CNJIC.
a women and her role is to give birth and take care
of children. In urban areas, child marriage is often Programmes and partners
prompted by pregnancy. The adolescent fertility rate in
2015 was 122 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19.40 UNFPA and UNICEF
UNFPA and UNICEF jointly support the development of
Low educational attainment is also associated with a national child marriage strategy.
child marriage, both as a driver and an outcome. Half
of women aged 20 to 24 with a primary education UNFPA
married before age 18, compared to 23 per cent of
women aged 20 to 24 with a secondary or higher Title of programme
education.41 Red Card to Early Marriages.

The low status of girls is also apparent in the practice Description

of polygamy, where the marriage of a girl child is part UNFPA is supporting a campaign called ‘Red Card to
of the financial settlement of a family debt.42 A ‘bride Early Marriages and Adolescent Pregnancies’. The
price’ is paid by the groom or his kin to the kin of the campaign is being implemented from July to October
bride to confirm the marriage. The practice has been 2017 as a follow-up to the national launch of the
found to encourage child marriage, since parents AU Campaign to End Child Marriage in 2016 and
forcibly marry daughters off in order to collect the bride is sensitizing communities in the provinces of Haut
price or to finance the bride price of a son.43 Katanga, Sud Kivu and Mai Ndombe as well as in the
city of Kinshasa on the negative consequences of child
Government commitment and marriage, using both traditional media (television and
policy environment radio) and social media. It also supports the setting up
of networks with opinion leaders engaged in the fight
The DRC family law States that both parties must against child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
personally consent to being married, and that the legal
age of marriage is 18 for men and 15 for women. Examples of campaign activities implemented by CREEIJ,
Groupe d’Animateurs pour la Promotion et Échanges
In response to the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage, Culturels and RJEMGP appear below:
which was launched in the DRC in May 2015, the
country developed the National Strategy to End Child
Marriage (2015-2018). The strategy is not costed.44

39
Male and Wodon, 2016.q
40
World Bank website, Data, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT (accessed 27 July 2017).
41
Girls Not Brides website, girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/ (accessed 27 July 2017).
42
Free the Slaves, Wives in Slavery – Forced Marriage in the Congo Brief, 2015.
43
State Department, United States of America, 27 February 2014, ‘Democratic Republic of the Congo’, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013.
44
Stakeholder interview.

35
 CHILD MARRIAGE:
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Aide Rapide aux Victimes des Catastrophes – Partners

ARVC UNFPA; Department of Gender, Ministry of Planning;
town and territory officials, local youth networks.
Title of programme
Preventing Early and Forced Marriage in South Kivu in Funding
the DRC. UNFPA.

Objective Groupe d’Animateurs pour la Promotion et

Adolescents in 19 project intervention communities Échanges Culturels
are supported and institutional protection systems
reinforced. Title of programme
Red Card to Early Marriages.
Programme scope
The four-year programme (2017-2020) targets 12- to Objective
19-year-old married and unmarried girls, including To train opinion leaders who will set up networks to
victims and survivors of child marriage, early marriage identify early marriages and support and track girl
and forced marriage. The total target population in Uvira, victims and survivors.
Fizi and Walungu is estimated at 50,000. By March
2017, the programme had reached 61 communities: 243
Description
case were opened, resulting in the arrest of perpetrators
The members in the network identify early marriages
of child marriage; 1,050 cases of child marriage were
and cases where there is an early or unintended
referred for community mediation; and 725 survivors
pregnancy. The role of network members is to support
received psychological support provided by the
the girls and ensure that they are accepted back into
programme in the three intervention sites.
the family and community. The campaign also includes
Partners activities to help girls enrol in and remain in primary
Ministry of Gender, Family and Children, Girls Not and secondary school or non-formal education.
Brides, Women Thrive Alliance.
Programme scope
Funding June 2016 to June 2017 in Kisenso municipality
Local funds. in Kinshasa.

Cadre de Récupération et d’Encadrement pour By May 2017, 40 leaders had been trained and a
l’Épanouissement Intégral des Jeunes – CREEIJ network of 40 committed leaders had been set up; 637
cases of child marriage have been identified.
Title of programme
Red Card to Early Marriages. Partners
The campaign is carried out under the supervision
Objective of the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children.
To train community leaders on the prevention of
Other partners include the ministries of planning,
child marriage.
youth and health, UNFPA, politicians, youth leaders,
religious organizations, the Catholic Church, and
Description
the organization for Advancement of Women and
The campaign focused on preventing and responding to
Children’s Rights.
child marriage by providing information to communities
on the legal provisions concerning the practice. After
a brief training session, male community leaders Funding
established networks to identify and support victims of UNFPA.
child marriage in their communities.
Réseau des Jeunes Engager contre les Mariages
Programme scope et Grossesses Précoces – RJEMGP
The project targeted 80 community leaders in South
Kivu province; 40 in Bukavu city and 40 in Uvira Title of programme
territory. Red Card to Early Marriages.

36
Objective Partners
To end the practice of child marriage through the UNFPA, Ministry of Gender and Family, local youth
sensitization of families and communities. NGOs (YOUTHFIM), Afia MAMA, CREEIJ, Wings of
the Hearts, LIZADEL, GAPEC, CNJIC and the Young
Description Parliamentarians’ Network.
The programme conducts awareness-raising
activities to change attitudes toward child marriage Funding
in communities and families. The campaign aims UNFPA.
to mobilize broad involvement through community
sensitization and intergenerational dialogues on issues Eritrea
such as girls’ education and teenage pregnancies and
its associated health risks. It has established a network Forty-one per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in Eritrea
of committed leaders, including neighbourhood leaders, were married by age 18, and 13 per cent were married
traditional chiefs and religious leaders, to act as focal by age 15.45 The population surveys do not show local
points and influence family members to reject child variations, but it is assumed that the high incidence of
marriage and to build a protective environment for child marriage cuts across all areas and regions with
children. The programme also seeks to prevent early minor variations. The prevalence of FGM/C is 83 per
and unintended pregnancies and provide support for cent among girls and women aged 15 to 49.46
married girls and creating safe spaces for unmarried
girls and child brides. The safe spaces are used for Drivers of child marriage
comprehensive sexuality education and reproductive
health, including family planning and hygiene during Child marriage is driven by poverty, strong gender norms
menstruation. In addition, the programme is also and patriarchal ideals of purity.47 Although specific rules
supporting girls (married and unmarried) in continuing and customs of marriage (such as bride price, family
their education through literacy programmes, trade arrangements, etc.) differ slightly among the country’s
apprenticeships and empowerment training. ethno-linguistic groups, the predominant perception is
that girls should marry early.48 A factor related to child
Programme scope marriage is the limited access to education: 64 per
The programme period is 2016-2020. cent of women aged 20 to 24 with no education and
53 per cent with only primary education were found to
The programme targets girls aged 10 to 19, including be married by age 18, compared to just 12 per cent of
girls in and out of school and survivors of child women with secondary schooling or higher.49
marriage.
Government commitment and
By 2016, five provinces (Upper Katanga, South Kivu, policy environment
Mai-Ndombe, Maniema and Kinshasa) had been
reached out of the 26 provinces in the DRC. To date, 11 Prior to independence in 1991, the Eritrean People’s
networks have been created. In Kinshasa, 59 cases of Liberation Front introduced legislation that abolished
child marriage and 45 cases of early pregnancy were forced marriage, bride price, child marriage, kidnapping
identified among the 141 families that were reached. and dowries. The Eritrean Civil Code (article 581 and
329) stipulates 18 years for marriage.50 In 2015, the
Up-scaling opportunities legislation on child marriage was substantiated in
The programme’s vision is to cover the entire DRC. the Civil Procedure Code, Penal Code and Criminal
Procedure Code. However, formal laws are at times

UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on Population and Health Survey 2010.
45

UNICEF website, ‘Statistical Profile on FGM/C in Eritrea’, updated in February 2016’,

46

DATA UNICEF Child protection FGMC women prevalence updated Feb 2016 and UNICEF Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Country profiles Aug 2016https://data.unicef.org/
wp-content/uploads/country_profiles/Eritrea/FGMC_ERI.pdf (accessed 01 September 2017).
47
Stakeholder interview.
48
Eritrea Ministry of Information, March 2016, www.shabait.com/articles/nation-building/21449-child-marriage-human-rights-health-and-development
(accessed 01 September 2017).
49
DHS 2002.
50
Girls Not Brides website, www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/eritrea/ (accessed 27 July 2017)
51
Girls Not Brides website. www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/eritrea/ (accessed 27 July 2017).

37
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

superseded by customary laws.51 Customary practices and survivors of child marriage (including divorcees,
differ from place to place and may not mention age widows and partners of dissolved marriages).
restrictions for marriage.52
Partners
The Government of Eritrea launched the AU Campaign Ministries of health, education, justice, labour and
to End Child Marriage in June 2016, but has yet to human welfare, and national development; NUEW;
finalize a national strategy on child marriage. National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students
(NUEYS), and UNICEF.
Coordination
Funding
Eritrea is working to end child marriage through a UNICEF.
multi-stakeholder approach including government
ministries (including those covering health, labour and UNICEF
human welfare, education, and justice), the National
Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), religious leaders, Title of programme
partners and local communities.53 The current Joint Child Marriage Prevention.
Programme on Gender Equity and Advancement of
Women in Eritrea, Bi-annual Work Plan 2017/2018 is Objective
coordinated by the Ministry of National Development. To identify the drivers of child marriage and support the
The main implementing partners are the Ministry of development of a national strategy.
Health, Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare, and
NUEW, with support from UNICEF.54 Coordination Description
meetings are scheduled to take place every quarter or Overall, UNICEF’s support to the government is focused
as the need arises. on community mobilization to ensure that the messages
about child marriage are reaching the most vulnerable
Programmes and partners populations living in remote areas, including those
with low levels of education and income. It also aims
Ministry of Health to empower and stimulate women’s participation in
decision-making. The activities emphasize community
Title of programme
awareness and education through advocacy with local
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Child Protection.
government authorities, religious leaders, community
associations and law enforcement authorities.
Objective
To empower communities to reduce the incidence of
In support of the National Strategic Plan development
child marriage through behaviour change.
process, UNICEF is undertaking research to enhance
understanding of the root causes of child marriage.
Description
The programme is providing safe spaces for girls,
life-skills development and comprehensive sexuality Programme scope
education for girls who are both in and out of school. The programme began in 2015 and will run until
It sensitizes communities and raises awareness among 2021. The primary beneficiaries are 250,000 children
girls, boys, fathers, mothers, traditional leaders, below the age of 18 and their caretakers in targeted
religious leaders, administrators and civil society on communities. By February 2017, 80,000 people
adolescent sexual and reproductive health. had been reached through face-to-face seminars.
The geographic coverage includes four of the six
Programme scope administrative zobas: Anseba, Gash Barka, Southern
The programme started in 2015 with the Ministry of Red Sea and Northern Red Sea.
Health; in 2016, NUEW joined in. In the current work
plan, it is a joint programme with the Ministry of Health, Partners
NUEW and the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Human
It covers the whole country, targeting 10- to 19-year-old Welfare, NUEW.
unmarried and married girls, both in and out of school,

52
Stakeholder interview.
53
Stakeholder interview.
54
Stakeholder interview.

38
Funding Funding
UNICEF. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria and the UN Joint Programme on Gender Equity,
National Union of Eritrean Women – NUEW with co-financing from local communities.

Title of programme National Union of Eritrean Youth & Students

Alleviate Harmful Traditional Practices. – NUEYS

Objective Objective
To ensure that communities have the knowledge and To address child marriage by supporting both children
are adequately equipped to take action against all and the community, thus improving girls’ educational
harmful practices and establish ‘child-marriage performance and reducing school drop-out rates.
free’ communities.
Description
Description The focus of the NUEYS programmes is to improve
NUEW has conducted a range of programmes to educational performance of girls in school and provide
educate families and communities on the dangers of information about gender equality and sexual and
child marriage and other harmful practices. NUEW’s reproductive health and rights. Key interventions
programmes promote awareness, employment, include community sensitization and referral to health
workshops, seminars, training and life-skills programmes and social protection services as well as advocacy with
using a holistic approach. The activities that address parliamentarians and local decision-makers.
child marriage are part of an integrated programme that
tackles harmful practices, including FGM/C and violence Programme scope
against women. The project is implemented in three The programme covers all of Eritrea, targeting
phases: breaking the silence, sensitization campaigns unmarried and married girls, both in and out of school,
and law enforcement. The programme activities also aged 10 to 14. The programme indicators include
include establishing committees against child marriage educational performance of girls in school and number
at the grass-roots level. of peer groups formed. The annual reach of the five-
year programme (2014-2018) is 200 girls.
Programme scope
The programme covers all of Eritrea, targeting Partners
unmarried and married girls, both in and out of school, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Human
aged 15 and older. The programme indicators include Welfare, Ministry of Local Government, NUEW, UNFPA
the number of cases reported, awareness events and UNICEF.
organized, and young people and schools reached.
By February 2017 the programme had reached all Funding
communities with awareness-raising activities. UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, with co-financing from
local communities.
Partners
Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Human
Welfare, Ministry of Local Government, NUEW.

39
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

“Forty-one per cent

of women aged
20 to 24 in Eritrea
were married by
age 18, and 13 per cent
were married by
age 15.”

© UNFPA Kenya

40
Ethiopia under the leadership of Ministry of Women and
Children’s Affairs (MoWCA). The government has
In Ethiopia, 40 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 pledged a 10 per cent increase in financial resources to
were married by 18 years of age, and 16 per cent were address child marriage. Households, communities and
married before age 15.55 The highest rates of child institutions are targeted in the National Communication
marriage are reported from the Amhara region (44.8 Strategy on Child Marriage, and the government,
per cent), Gambella (43 per cent),56 Tigray (34.1 per together with development partners, are seeking
cent), Addis Ababa (32.3 per cent) and Benishangul to influence child marriage practices through social
Gumuz (31.9 per cent). The prevalence of FGM/C is 83 mobilization and awareness-raising.62 Efforts are being
per cent among girls and women aged 15 to 49 years.57 made to harmonize policies and legal frameworks and
The recent decline in child marriage rates in some rural to ensure effective law enforcement through increased
areas is attributed to improvements in girls’ access capacity of service providers. Establishing national
to education. and regional databases to systematically collect data
on child marriage trends and prevalence will further
Drivers of child marriage enhance programming capacity. The government
emphasizes strategic partnerships among the
Child marriage remains a deeply rooted tradition in implementing partners and strategies for accountable
Ethiopian communities. Customs such as marriage and effective national resource mobilization.63
by abduction and forced unions between cousins
(abusuma) perpetuate the practice.59 High child The Government of Ethiopia launched the AU
marriage rates are also related to lack of access to Campaign to End Child Marriage in November 2014.
quality education and economic opportunities for
girls, which are associated with social norms limiting Programme coordination
women and girls’ decision-making, including in relation
to reproductive choices. In 2015, the World Economic The MoWCA coordinates activities at the federal level
Forum reported that only 14 per cent of women and oversees the implementation and monitoring of
aged 25 and over in Ethiopia had completed primary the National Alliance to End Child Marriage and the
education, compared with 37 per cent for men.60 FGM/C National Action Plan. The Bureau of Women
and Children’s Affairs coordinates the implementation
Government commitment and of the National Strategy at regional and zonal levels.
policy environment The MoWCA calls monthly meetings to monitor the
implementation of the plan. UNFPA and UNICEF, as the
Building on the Constitution, the Family Code sets the lead UN agencies, support the National Alliance both
minimum age for marriage at 18 for both males and financially and technically.
females. Child marriage is criminalized in the Criminal
Code. Programmes and partners

The Government of Ethiopia is seeking to end Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs
child marriage by 2025. National polices include
The National Alliance to End Child Marriage and Title of programme
the National Strategy and Action Plan on Harmful End All Forms of Harmful Traditional Practice against
Traditional Practices against Women and Children.61 Women and Children.
The current action plan was launched in June 2013

55
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on DHS 2011.
56
National Strategy and Action Plan on Harmful Traditional Practices against Women and Children in Ethiopia, 2013.
57
United Nations Children’s Fund, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change, UNICEF, New York, 2013.
58
Marshall, Elizabeth Presler, et al., March 2016, ‘Child Marriage in Ethiopia – A Review of the Evidence and an Analysis of the Prevalence of Child Marriage in Hotspot
Districts’, Overseas Development Institute, London,
www.odi.org/publications/10452-child-marriage-ethiopia-review-evidence-and-analysis-prevalence-child-marriage-hotspot-district (accessed 1 September 2017).
59
Girls Not Brides website, www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/ethiopia/ (accessed 1 September 2017).
60
World Economic Forum, 2015, Gender Pay Gap Report 2015.
61
Marshall et al., 2016.
62
Girls Not Brides, July 2015, ‘Lessons Learned from Selected National Initiatives to End Child Marriage’, www.ungei.org/Girls_Not_Brides.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
63
Government of Ethiopia, National Report on the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the
United Nations General Assembly (2000), www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-documents/Beijing20/NationalReviews/natl_review_ethiopia_-_eng.pdf (accessed 1
September 2017).

41
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Objective Programme scope

To improve well-being, reduce poverty and improve The programme is implemented in nine Afar woredas.
health, education and the empowerment of girls and By May 2017, the programme had reached 629,306
women, along with their children and families. people (345,941 male and 283,365 female) in 11
districts: Asayita, Afambo, Mille, Chifra, Ab’ala,
Description Amibara, Awash Fentale, Dulacha, Bure Modayita,
The programme has four components: 1) community- Argoba and Addar.
based activities to change social norms, including
community ‘conversations’, school-based clubs Partners
and economic incentives to support girls to remain UNICEF, UNFPA.
in school, 2) advocacy with decision makers and
opinion leaders and policy dialogue at the national Funding
and international level, 3) capacity development UNICEF, UNFPA.
for concerned ministries from the national to the
community level, 4) monitoring the implementation Amhara Bureau of Women and Children’s Affairs
of the government plan, evaluation of outcomes and
impact, and lessons learned to ensure evidence-based Title of programme
planning and policy development. Ending Child Marriage Programme.

Programme scope Objective

This is a multi-year and multi-partner-funded To end child marriage practices and empower girls
programme. The UNFPA-supported programme to and women.
end child marriage was launched in 2012 and ended
in 2015. The five-year UNICEF-supported programme Description
started in 2014 and will end in 2019-2020. The The programme provides participants with life-
programme funded by the UK Department for skills training, conducts community conversations,
International Development (DFID) (2011-2017) is being supports families through a revolving fund and aims
implemented in the Amhara region. to strengthen community structures and religious
institutions. The programme delivers awareness-
Partners raising activities through the publication of materials,
All members of the End Child Marriage and FGM
pamphlets and radio programmes.
National Alliance.

Programme scope
Funding
The five-year programme works with unmarried girls,
UNICEF, UNFPA, DFID and the Ethiopian Government.
10 to 19 years old, both in school and out of school. It is
implemented in Amhara’s 168 woredas (administrative
Afar Bureau Women’s and Children’s Affairs
divisions) with a total population of 500,000. By April
2017, the programme had reached approximately
Title of programme
120,000 people.
Ending Child Marriage and FGM/C.

Partners
Objective
UNICEF, the Bureau of Health, the Bureau of Education
To strengthen community and institutional capacity for
and the Justice Bureau.
social mobilization, to end child marriage and FGM/C
at kebele, woreda and regional levels and to ensure that
at least one woreda declares total abandonment of Funding
FGM/C and child marriage by the end of 2017. UNICEF.

Description Tigray State Bureau of Women and

The programme seeks to create community awareness Children’s Affairs
through dialogue sessions with adolescents, parents
and traditional leaders. Messages on harmful practices Title of programme
and child marriage are distributed during Friday Ending Early Child Marriage.
prayers by religious leaders. Community members
get information through the dagu system, a known, Objective
traditional method for information-sharing. To enhance adolescent girls’ financial abilities by

42
encouraging saving, and to raise community awareness Description
of the consequences of child marriage. Programme activities support girls’ empowerment,
access to life-skills education and reproductive
Description information and services for unmarried and married
The programme contributed to the government adolescent girls and their husbands. Through
commitment to end child marriage by supporting the programme, UNFPA Ethiopia will continue
non-State actors in their efforts in this regard and by to strengthen partnerships with government
increasing institutional capacity and community-level organizations, NGOs, community structures and
knowledge to promote and protect the rights of women, other stakeholders to address child marriage in the
youth, adolescents and children. Project activities context of harmful practices. Using the community
included training of mentors, fortnightly sessions with conversation methodology, parents, community and
girls, and strengthening of school and health facilities religious leaders, boys and men are targeted to change
through commodities. Schools were supported with community attitudes on child marriage and girls’
materials such as reference books, exercise books, education. Capacity development will be provided for
pens, soap and other sanitary items that encourage service providers to ensure sure that adolescent girls
girls’ school attendance. The mentors identified at-risk have access to adolescent-friendly health care.
girls and referred them to schools, to health facilities
and/or to legal assistance. Girls’ school clubs referred Programme scope
girls at risk to school directors. The programme also The four-year (2017-2020) programme is targeting
supports education on financial literacy and helped girls aged 10 to 19 in Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz and
adolescent girls open bank accounts. In addition, the Gambella and provides reproductive health services in
programme identified and disseminated best practices selected Amhara and Afar woredas.
for upscaling.
Partners
Programme scope MoWCA, UNICEF, faith-based organizations and
The six-month programme, implemented between existing structures such as the health extension workers,
January and June 2016, focused on unmarried and Women’s Development Army and women’s associations.
married girls, 10 to 19 years old. A total of 2,400 girls
regularly attended sessions and opened new bank Funding
accounts in three kebeles (smallest administrative unit) UK Aid and European Union.
of Kola Temben district.
Afar Pastoralist Development
Up-scaling opportunities Association – APDA
The programme will be scaled up through the UNFPA-
UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Title of programme
Child Marriage described below. Stopping Harmful Practices in Afar region.

Partners Objective
UNFPA. To ensure that members of the Afar community are
aware of the dangers of early marriage and are able to
Funding act on that knowledge.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation of the Italian Republic. Description
This effort to stop early marriage is embedded within an
UNFPA overarching programme to stop harmful practices that
impact negatively on women’s reproductive health. The
Title of programme programme addresses community leaders, including
Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End clan and religious leaders as well as women and youth
Child Marriage. leaders. Additionally, it provides assistance to girls who
experience problems associated with child marriage
Objective and FGM/C. Community change agents or women
To support girls’ empowerment by providing safe extension workers (trained, literate women) provide
spaces and gender clubs where girls can develop counselling and support to girls at risk. The programme
confidence and the capacity to raise concerns and ideas also seeks to ensure that girls complete secondary
education: APDA partners with a literacy initiative

43
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

in Afar and uses Koranic teachers to explain Islamic modern beekeeping and small trading opportunities
marriage rights. Locally made films are used to reach for income-generation. The programme provided
out to youth groups. educational materials for girls in formal primary and
secondary education. Gender clubs were organized
Programme scope in schools and sanitary materials were provided to
The current programme began in 2010 and will run girls. To encourage out-of-school girls to return to
until December 2017. school, the project sought to sensitize the community
about the importance of girls’ education. The project
APDA works with girls both in and out of school in trained teachers in gender-responsiveness, organizing
addition to married women and divorcees. It includes and assisting gender clubs, and supporting girls to
women of all ages in their programme. remain in school. It also conducted review meetings
with concerned government officials, other civil
APDA works in 25 districts in the Afar region. The society and community-based organizations, and
estimated total population in the 25 districts is with community representatives about the quality of
350,000. education and teaching and learning processes. In
addition, the programme provided comprehensive
Partners sexuality education for girls in and out of school and
UNFPA; Bureau for Women’s, Youth and Children’s improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual and
Affairs; the Justice Bureau; and the Sharia Bureau reproductive health information and services (including
and Court. modern contraception) through the training of health
centre officials, nurses and health extension workers.
Funding Girls and boys received information about sexual and
Afar Friends Sweden; Ethiopiaid UK and Ethiopiaid reproductive health.
Australia; Barbara May Foundation Australia;
Welthungerhilfe, Germany; Catholic Organization for Programme scope
Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID) Netherlands; The two-year programme was implemented between
Bread for the World Germany; Pestalozzi Children’s April 2013 and March 2015.
Foundation Switzerland; UNFPA.
The total population of the three woredas where the
Mujejeguwa-Locka Women Development programme was implemented was calculated to be
Association – MLWDA 110,126. The direct beneficiaries of the project were
648 women, including 75 who suffered fistula and
Title of programme uterine inversion. It also reached 3,240 of the women’s
Preventing Child and Early Forced Marriage and Health family members. It is estimated that more than 20,600
Complications among Women in Gumuz Mandura and people benefited from awareness-raising activities and
Danguer Woredas in Benishangul Gumuz regional state. 19 self-help groups were organized.

Objective Partners
To contribute to improvements in the living conditions Government officials from the kebele to the regional
of women and girls in Bullen and Pawi woreda, Metekel level, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, OXFAM GB.
zone in the Benishangul Gumuz regional state.
Funding
Description UNFPA.
The programme worked to reduce maternal and child
mortality by creating awareness among community Norwegian Church Aid
members. It helped diversify the livelihoods of poor
women by providing income-generating activities and Title of programme
the organization of self-help groups. It also facilitated Engaging Faith-based Organizations for the Well-being
referral of fistula and uterine inversion patients of Women and Girls in Ethiopia.
to health services. The programme provided safe
spaces for girls through a shelter facility and reunified Objective
them with their families; it also helped rehabilitate To enhance community knowledge of the negative
survivors of gender-based violence. Marginalized girls effects of FGM/C, child marriage and other harmful
were empowered through vocational training (food practices.
preparation, tailoring) and goat-rearing, bread-baking,

44
Description Partners
The programme encourages faith-based partners to Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, Inter-Religious
integrate FGM/C and child marriage prevention into Council of Ethiopia, Ethiopia Muslim Development
their systems and structures, to address girls and Agency.
women in their teachings, to support the rescue of
girls from child marriage, and to stop the blessing Funding
of unlawful, underage or forced marriages. The UNFPA, UNICEF, Government of Norway.
programme has established referral linkages from
schools and communities to the police. Some schools World Vision Ethiopia
have instituted secret boxes to report on the incidence
of or rumours of when a child marriage is planned. Title of programme
After receiving legal services, the girls may be referred It Takes a World to End Child Marriage.
to other services.
Objective
Programme scope The programme objective is to reduce harmful
The programme has a national reach with a focus on practices, strengthen the child protection system to
Amhara; Somali; Afar; the Southern Nations, Nationalities prevent and respond to child marriage and reduce the
and Peoples; and Oromia regional states. The duration of social and economic drivers of child marriage.
the programme varies by setting (1 to 5 years).
Description
The total target population is 7,000 religious leaders The programme supports the establishment of
and faith-based community members and more than community-based child-focused structures and
350,000 community members. From October 2014 community conversation groups that are involved in
until December 2015, when the programme ended, the community change processes to prevent and respond
programme had reached more than 2,000 to child marriage and other forms of violence against
religious leaders. children. Overall, the programme aim is to catalyse a
global movement to change attitudes, raise awareness
The programme has verified that planned child and drive courageous and effective action to end violence
marriages have been cancelled and girls have been against children. It includes activities to strengthen
rescued in intervention sites. prevention and response measures, increase the available
long-term funding for ending violence against children,
Additionally, NORAD will commence implementation and strengthen community accountability.
of a new project on early marriage in Gambella, entitled
Accelerating Action to Ensure the Well-being of Programme scope
Adolescent girls. The project is expected to run from The five-year programme (2016-2020) is conceptualized
July to December 2017. as a campaign that will target 1 million children, 5 to18
years of age, both in and out of school, in Amhara;

45
© UNFPA Kenya
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region; Malagasy traditional practices vary according to the
Oromiya; Benshangule Gumuz; Tigray; and Addis Abeba. ethnic community and the region, but are found in
By April 2017, 20,000 children had been reached. all ethnic communities. There are a large number of
forbidden behaviours and actions, which if contravened
denote disrespect for the ancestors. The continuation
of the family line is very important, and procreation is
Madagascar regarded as the purpose of marriage.70

In Madagascar, 41 per cent of girls are married by

As a girl reaches puberty, she is perceived to be ready
age 18, and 12 per cent by age 15.64 Six per cent of
for marriage and pregnancy. Traditionally, pregnancy
adolescent girls are already divorced, widowed or
out of wedlock is not accepted. In some instances,
separated.65 There are significant regional variations
the girl herself may want to marry in order to respect
in child marriage rates: Almost two thirds of girls in
tradition.71 That said, child marriage or living together
some of the poorer regions of Madagascar are married
as if married does not only occur in the context of
before age 18, significantly higher than the national
traditional practices; it may also be of a girl’s or boy’s
average.66 The southern region of Toliara shows the
own free will.72 These unions take place without
highest prevalence of child marriage, with 69 per cent
parental consent and are not arranged as part of
of women aged 20 to 24 years old married before age
traditional rites. In the south, there are also sexual
18, followed by Mahajanga in the north-west at 59
initiation rites where parents allow girls as young as
per cent, Antsiranana in the north at 58 per cent, and
12 to have a boy/man staying overnight.73 When the
Fianaranstsoa in the east at 41 per cent.67
girl becomes pregnant, the boy/man and the girl are
married. In these communities, it is important that
Drivers of child marriage
girls are able to demonstrate their fertility, which is a
precondition for marriage.74 In cases of rape, informal
Education, poverty and child marriage are
financial settlements are common, after which the girl
interconnected in Madagascar, with approximately 91
will be given to the perpetrator to marry.75
per cent of the population living below the poverty line.
Girls who marry young are mostly poor, uneducated
Government commitment and
and come from rural areas. Nearly 70 per cent of girls
policy environment
with no education marry early, compared with 28 per
cent of those with secondary education.68
In 2007, the government changed the minimum age of
marriage to 18 for both girls and boys in the Marriage
Regular drought, the El Niño phenomenon and infertile
and Matrimonial Act. However, customary marriages
soil in the south as well as frequent cyclones add to the
are common and not subjected to any age limitation.
problems. The El Nino/Drought Situation Report69 noted
Customary marriages are rarely reported to the Civil
a dramatic increase in negative coping mechanisms
Registrar and, due to lack of legal awareness and
in crisis-affected areas. This includes economic
the prevailing culture of impunity, abuses are rarely
exploitation, such as children working in mines, leading
reported. Other policies with relevance for preventing
cattle, working as domestic help or transporting water,
child marriage include the Youth National Policy and
sexual exploitation, prostitution and child marriage.
the National Gender-Based Violence Strategy.
Deteriorating family relations were linked to the loss of
livelihoods, increased violence within the family and a
feeling of marginalization among affected communities.

64
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on ENSOMD 2012-2013.
65
UNICEF, 2015.
66
DHS 2003/MICS 2006, UNFPA Annex 1: Profiles of 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage
https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/ChildMarriage_8_annex1_indicator-definition.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
67
Andrianasolo, Nadèche, October 2013, ‘The Girl Child Marriage Practice in Madagascar: A critical analysis’,
http://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/43646/Andrianasolo_Girl_2013.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 29 April 2017).
68
Girls Not Brides website, www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/madagascar/ (accessed 28 July 2017).
69
United Nations Children’s Fund, June 2016, El Nino/Drought Situation Report.
70
Andrianasolo, 2013.
71
Stakeholder interview.
72
Reported as a result of the National Strategy to Fight against Child Marriage preparation process, for which data were collected in six regions.
73
Stakeholder interview.
74
Stakeholder interview.
75
Stakeholder interview.

46
In June 2015, the Government of Madagascar launched UNFPA
the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa and,
in 2016, the Ministry of Population, Social Protection Title of programme
and Promotion of Women was tasked with the drafting Gender-Based Violence Programme.
of a national strategy to prevent child marriage. The
development of the National Strategy to Fight Against Objective
Child Marriage, which UNICEF and UNFPA support, Increase national capacity to prevent and respond to
includes the review of existing data and the gathering gender-based violence and harmful practices, including
of new information from stakeholders at regional and in humanitarian settings.
local levels. The strategy addresses 22 regions of which
six have particularly high prevalence. Description
The programme works to ensure that referred gender-
Coordination based violence survivors receive psychosocial and/or
medical care. It will also work towards a legal response
Coordination meetings are organized with the National mechanism, such as a specific law against gender-
Steering Committee for the National Strategy to Fight based violence.
against Child Marriage. The meetings are chaired
by the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and Programme scope
Promotion of Women and attended by ministries with The programme targets girls, women, boys and men,
responsibilities for preventing and addressing child 10 to 49 years old, in five regions over five years. The
marriage, UN agencies and NGOs. Since 2001, child programme began in 2015 and will end in 2019.
protection networks have been established at the local
level, comprising medical professionals, counsellors and Partners
other relevant stakeholders. These networks have the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and
ability to address child marriage at the community level. Women Advancement.

Programmes and partners Funding

UNFPA.
UNFPA
UNICEF
Title of programme
Adolescent and Youth Programme. Title of programme
Fight Against Child Marriage.
Objective
Objective
Increase availability of and access to youth-friendly
To ensure that the National Strategy to Fight against
information and services, including life skills and
Child Marriage is finalized and implemented.
sexual education.

Description
Description
The Fight Against Child Marriage programme is
The programme seeks to increase access to health
implemented in collaboration with the Government of
service delivery and strengthen the capacity to
Madagascar. It has five sub-components: strengthening
provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health
the child protection system, protecting children against
programmes to young people.
violence, protecting children against exploitation,
fighting against child marriage, and protecting children
Programme scope
during emergencies. The focus is on developing
The programme began in 2015 and will end in 2019. It
services, building stakeholder capacity, promoting child
targets adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 in
participation, empowering communities and reinforcing
three regions. coordination through child protection networks.

Partners The Child Protection Programme supports the

Ministry of Youth and Sports. improvement of services to safeguard girls/children
from violence, including sexual violence. Services
Funding include drop-in centres with integrated medical,
UNFPA. psychosocial and police services and provision of

47
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

material support or incentives to families, especially in Another factor is the practice of transactional sex: Girls
the Antananarivo City area. The Let Us Learn education engage in sex to get money or food, sometimes coerced
project is implemented in collaboration with the by her family. The defilement or rape of girls is yet
education sector and specifically targets retention of another cause of child marriage, particularly when the
adolescent girls in school. rape results in pregnancy.82 The Ministry of Education
provides for sexuality education and life skills in schools,
Programme scope but schools are not allowed to distribute contraceptives,
The five-year (2015-2019) programme works with such as condoms. Girls are often withdrawn from school
children and adults in five target regions. The primary when families face financial constraints.83
beneficiaries at the national level are government
officials and civil servants, teenagers, children, Government commitment and
communities, youth and social mobilizers. policy environment

Partners In February 2017, the Malawi Parliament voted to

Ministries of population, social protection and amend the Constitution to make marriage before the
promotion of women, youth, justice, and education; age of 18 illegal, removing an earlier provision that
NGOs. allowed children to marry at 15 with parental consent.
The amendment aligns the Constitution with the 2015
Funding Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act enacted
Government and UNICEF. by the Parliament. Other relevant legislation includes
the Gender Equality Act (2013) and the Education
Bill, which states that education is universal and
Malawi compulsory for all and that girls who become pregnant
while in school or who drop out due to marriage have
In Malawi, 46 per cent of women are married by the the right to continue their education.
age of 18, and 9 per cent are married by age 15.76 Child
marriage is common across all three regions of Malawi, Malawi launched their national child marriage
although rates are highest among the poorest, least campaign in November 2014.
educated girls living in rural, remote areas of
southern Malawi.77 Coordination

Drivers of child marriage The national task force to end child marriage is chaired
by the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and
Although there is no conclusive study on the underlying Social Welfare and includes civil society organizations,
causes of child marriage, poverty is cited as one of the government and UN agencies. The meetings are
main contributors. Malawi’s traditions and patriarchal held quarterly.
culture encourage early sexual initiation, which is often
followed by a marriage celebration.78 Social norms Programmes and partners
dictate that when girls reach puberty, they should get
married,79 and society generally renounces pregnancy UNFPA
outside of matrimony.80 Marrying off daughters can
be a way for poor families to receive a dowry, and girls Title of programme
themselves may see marriage as a way out of poverty Safeguard Young People (SYP).
or violent family situations. In the northern part of the
country, a form of debt repayment called kupimbira Objective
is practised in which a girl is given in marriage to a To contribute to improved sexual and reproductive
creditor for failure to repay a debt.81 health status of young people aged 10 to 24 years with
special focus on HIV prevention.

76
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on MICS 2013-2014.
77
Stakeholder interview.
78
Stakeholder interview.
79
Stakeholder interview.
80
Stakeholder interview.
81
Stakeholder interview.
82
Stakeholder interview.
83
Stakeholder interview.

48
Description Objectives
The programme provides safe spaces and To further the government’s commitment to reduce
comprehensive sexuality education for girls (both in gender inequalities in access to resources and
and out of school) by establishing and strengthening development opportunities, in support of the Malawi
out-of-school clubs. Teachers are trained and supported Growth and Development Strategy and accelerated
to provide life skills through online and face-to-face attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
comprehensive sexuality education. Girls are taught
menstrual hygiene management and how to sew Description
sanitary pads, which is a practical aspect of supporting The programme worked with in- and out-of-school girls
girls to remain in secondary education. and boys aged 10 to 20+ years, engaging community
support structures to enhance girls’ education,
Programme scope including mothers’ groups, boys’ and girls’ clubs,
The six-year (2014-2019) programme addresses community action groups, local leaders, parents, civil
in- and out-of-school youths (10 to 24 years old) in society organizations and government departments.
Dedza, Mangochi, Chiradzulu, Nkhatabay, Mchinji and
Chikwawa.
Programme scope
The programme was implemented between 2012 and
Partners
2016 in 13 (out of 28) districts in three regions: Chitipa,
District Health Offices, Ministry of Health, Malawi
Karonga, Nkhatabay and Mzimba in the Northern
Girl Guides Association, Youth Net and Counselling
Region; Dowa, Mchinji, Salima and Dedza in the
(YONECO).
Central Region; and Mangochi, Machinga, Chiradzulu,
Funding Chikwawa and Nsanje in the Southern Region.
UNFPA and the Swiss Agency for Development
Cooperation. The programme directly reached 21,748 women, 11,840
men and 5,964 girls through structured groups and
UNFPA individually targeted interventions. The programme
indirectly reached a total of 268,659 people (123,253
Title of programme male and 145,406 female) through general interventions
Gender Equality and Women/Girl Empowerment. such as community awareness campaigns,

49
© UNFPA Kenya
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

counselling, mobile health clinics and provision of basic Partners

infrastructure, such as girls’ toilets and school blocks. Community-based organizations in each of the districts,
Activista (Youth) Network, Civil Society Education
Up-scaling opportunities Coalition, Teachers’ Union of Malawi, Girls Not Brides
Activities have been embedded in the UN Joint Girls’ Malawi and Ujamaa Pamodzi, UN Women, UNFPA,
Education Programme, which is an ongoing programme UNICEF and the ministries of gender and education.
as well as part of core UNFPA activities.
Funding
Partners Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and (NORAD), UNICEF.
Social Welfare.
Centre for Social Concern and Development –
Funding CESOCODE
European Union, UNFPA.
Title of programme
ActionAid Malawi Empowering Girls to Lead Change on Ending Child
Marriage in Malawi.
Title of programme
Promoting Girls’ Education and Ending Child Objective
Marriages Campaign. To empower girls to be the advocates for ending child
marriage through awareness-campaign meetings,
Objective life-skills training, peer education and community
To get more girls to enrol and stay in school. dialogues.

Description
Description
The programme is promoting girls’ education to ensure
The programme empowers girls by providing life skills,
that girls stay in school, complete a full cycle of primary
peer education and advocacy skills. By including girls
education and transition to secondary and tertiary
themselves in the fight against child marriage, they
education. Interventions include working with various
grow more confident and bring positive change to the
stakeholders, including chiefs and ward councillors, to
community. The programme uses Facebook, What’s-
ensure that girls don’t drop out due to early marriage.
app and phone SMS messages to communicate.
Girls’ empowerment is provided through girls’ clubs and
conferences and by placing female teachers into rural
Programme scope
schools to serve as role models for girls. Exposure to
The two-year programme (2016-2017) works with out-
different role models and types of careers is emphasized.
of-school girls aged 15 to 19 in rural areas of Blantyre and
Neno districts. The total target population is 2,000 girls.
Programme scope
The five-year (2012-2017) programme work with girls
By March 2017, the programme had reached 1,255
and boys (aged 10 to 20+) both in and out of school. It
engages teachers, school governance structures, local girls. As a result of the programme, 75 per cent of girls
leaders, parents and local government in 12 districts in in intervention areas have increased their knowledge
the three regions: peri-urban areas of Lilongwe, Ntchisi, of strategies to end child marriage and know where to
Dedza, Mchinji, Mzimba, Rumphi, Chitipa, Nsanje, report cases of child marriage. Five girls had averted
Neno, Chiradzulu, Machinga and Phalombe. The total marriage and returned to school.
target population is 200,000 children, of which half
are girls. Partners
District Youth Office, Girls Not Brides Malawi, Girls
By March 2017, the programme had reached approximately Empowerment Network, the Police, District Social
275, 000 children, of which 180,000 are girls. Welfare, religious and village leaders.

Up-scaling opportunities Funding

The programme will be up scaled to other Traditional Gloria Nolan Fund – USA.
Authority areas in the programme districts.

50
Girls Empowerment Network – Genet Partners
Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Girls
Title of programme Empowerment Network (GENET), Centre for Human
More than Brides, 18+ and ENGAGE. Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Forum for African
Women Educationalists (FAWEMA), Action Aid,
Objective African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF).
Empower girls to make healthy decisions about
their lives. Funding
NORAD, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Description
The programmes work to ensure that young people are Ujamaa Pamodzi Africa
better informed about sexual and reproductive health
and rights, including adverse effects of child marriage, Title of programme
and are empowered to voice their needs and rights. The Girls Empowerment and Self-Defence (GESD)
(IMpower) Training Programme.
Programme scope
The programmes will be implemented for four to six Objectives
years (More than Brides, 2016-2021; 18+, 2016-2019; To research and evaluate the impact of the IMpower
and ENGAGE, 2016-2020) and are directed to both programme on the rate of school drop-out due to early
unmarried and married girls, 10 to 19 years old. The marriage and teenage pregnancy; and to teach the
total target population is 20,000. By March 2017, the IMpower programme to all girls in school where the
programme had reached approximately 5,000 girls in programme is operating.
Nkhata Bay, Mulanje, Phalombe and Thyolo areas.
Description
Funding Ujamaa-Pamodzi, a Malawi-based NGO, teaches a
Simavi-Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Plan standardized six-week programme on the IMpower
International and the Bill and Melinda Gates violence prevention system, designed by a panel of
Foundation. international experts. The curriculum for girls and young
women includes 12 hours of interactive empowerment
Plan International Malawi instruction, which reaches well beyond the boundaries
of the existing school-based life-skills classes. The
Title of programme IMpower programme empowers girls to master a wide
18+, Programme on Ending Child Marriages. range of abuse avoidance techniques; all participants
gain a minimum of six hours of hands-on practice of key
Objectives skills over the course of the six-week programme. The
To empower all girls at risk of child marriage within
skills include setting boundaries and diffusion tactics,
the target areas to decide if, when and whom they will
verbal assertiveness and negotiation, and physical self-
marry by the year 2019 and to eradicate the gender
defence skills. Girls exit the programme fully prepared
norms and practices that drive child marriage in these
to verbally express themselves, to say ‘no’ to early
areas by 2019.
marriage, early pregnancy and non-consensual sex, and
to physically fight off larger male attackers in single
Description
and multiple-assailant scenarios. The programme is
The project promotes girls’ access to sexual and
encouraging boys to help end violence against girls in
reproductive health services and education and
school and is teaching boys empathy, consent, gender
increases the capacity of duty bearers to develop and
equity and intervention skills.
enforce laws and bylaws that support an end to
child marriage.
Programme scope
The programme was implemented from January 2015
Programme scope
to March 2017 and worked with in-school girls and
The five-year programme (2016-2020) addresses both
some boys, 10 to 19 years old, in the seven districts
unmarried and married girls in and out of school. It
of Malawi. It also worked with teachers and mothers’
directly targets 1.2 million girls across the country, with
an indirect impact on 6.2 million girls. It is currently groups in schools. By March 2017, approximately
implemented in five districts. 25,000 students had participated: 16,000 girls and
9,000 boys. The programme was being implemented

51
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

in seven districts: Salima, Mangochi, Dedza, Lilongwe, second or third spouses; about 9 per cent of married girls
Mzimba, Machinga and Nkhatabay. aged 15 to 19 in Mozambique have co-wives.88

Research conducted in partnership with Johns Hopkins Regional variations in child marriage rates suggest
University has showed a reduction in the incidence of that specific socio-cultural phenomenon affect child
sexual assault by 39.5 per cent in programme areas. marriage prevalence. Norms about the age when
marriage is appropriate or desired are often determined
Up-scaling opportunities by madrinhas and matronas, who conduct initiation rites
The programme covers seven districts in Malawi, but for young adolescent girls.89 This is most common in
only reaches a few schools. It is currently working with ethnic groups in northern and central regions, which also
girls in school, but could be expanded to reach out-of- have the highest incidence of child marriage. A large
school girls, since they face the same challenges and proportion of child brides are living below or very close
very few organizations are reaching them. To be even to the poverty line, and it is only in the richest quintile
more successful, the programme would target the that a lesser incidence rate is detected.90 While 94 per
community around the schools where it is operating. cent of girls in Mozambique enrol in primary school,
more than half drop out by the fifth grade, and only 11
Partners per cent continue on to study at the secondary level.
Community-based organizations and relevant Just 1 per cent continue on to college.91 According to key
government officials working in the communities, stakeholders, the deteriorating economic situation due
UNICEF, ActionAid Malawi. to flooding and other natural disasters is seen as a risk
factor that may increase child marriage rates.92
Funding
UNICEF. Government commitment and
policy environment

Mozambique The Family Law stipulates the minimum age for

marriage to be 18 years, although exceptions are
In Mozambique, 48 per cent of women are married permitted: The law allows marriage at age 16
before the age of 18, and 14 per cent are married before with parental consent. The Civil Code regulates
age 15.84 Child marriage is more prevalent in rural marriage in general, but is not seen as effective for
than in urban areas, and is more heavily concentrated regulating minimum age in customary marriages. A
in northern and central regions. The highest rates comprehensive Domestic Violence Statute protects
are found in Nampula, followed by Niassa and Cabo women and children against domestic violence in the
Delgado, Manica, Tete and Sofala.85 family and wider community.

Drivers of child marriage The Government of Mozambique is committed to

eliminating child marriage; it launched the National
Child marriage is recognized as one of Mozambique’s Strategy on Eliminating Child Marriage and a costed
most serious but largely ignored development challenges. National Action Plan in December 2015. The Ministry
The vast majority of child marriages are de facto unions, of Gender, Children and Social Action is responsible
not legally registered marriages. They are formalized for its implementation. The strategy and action plan
through payment of a bride price (lobolo) – a customary involves five line ministries and national institutions,
practice – to a girl’s family.86 About a fifth of married girls civil society, academic institutions and United Nations
aged 15 to 19 have husbands who are 10 or more years agencies. However, key stakeholders report that the
older than they are.87 Young girls are also married off as government investment in preventing and mitigating

84
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on DHS 2011.
85
United Nations Children’s Fund, 2011, Child Poverty and Disparities in Mozambique 2010, UNICEF Mozambique, Maputo www.unicef.org.mz/cpd/documents/CPD-Summary.pdf
(accessed 1 September 2017).
86
United Nations Children’s Fund, 2015, Child Marriage and Adolescent Pregnancy in Mozambique: Policy brief, UNICEF Mozambique, Maputo,
www.unicef.org.mz/en/child-marriage-and-adolescent-pregnancy-in-mozambique-policy-brief/ (accessed 1 September 2017).
87
MICS 2008.
88
DHS 2011.
89
UNICEF, 2015, Child Marriage and Adolescent Pregnancy in Mozambique.
90
Male and Wodon, 2016, ‘Basic Profile of Child Marriage in Mozambique’, Health, Nutrition, and Population Knowledge Brief: Child marriage series, World Bank Group,
Washington, D.C., online, accessed July 2017.
91
United States Agency for International Development website, ‘Education: Mozambique’, https://www.usaid.gov/mozambique/education (accessed July 2017).
92
Stakeholder interview.

52
child marriage is inadequate in comparison to the religious leaders, boys and men. Moreover, the
magnitude of the problem. programme focuses on sexual and reproductive
health and rights at the policy level, through activities
Mozambique launched a national child marriage that include capacity development; policy advocacy;
campaign in June 2014. data and research; and coordination, management,
monitoring and evaluation. The programme is
Coordination underpinned by a Real-Time Monitoring System and
results framework linked to government targets for the
The National Strategy to Prevent and Eliminate Child global Sustainable Development Goals. The monitoring
Marriage in Mozambique is implemented under the system includes mobile data collection using smart
leadership of the Ministry of Gender, Children and phones and tablets.
Social Action.
Programme scope
The National Coalition to End Child Marriage in The programme targets one million adolescent girls
Mozambique (CECAP) was founded in 2013. The and young women aged 10 to 24 in 20 districts in
coalition is composed of 38 member organizations, 31 Zambezia and Nampula provinces, accounting for
local NGOs and 7 international NGOs, together with approximately 45 per cent of the total population.
UNFPA, UNICEF, DFID and the European Commission. The programme began in May 2016 and will end in
At the provincial level, the coalition is represented in April 2020.
66 provinces (northern and central Mozambique). The
monthly meetings and activities are coordinated by the Partners
Civil Society Forum for Child Rights, which serves as UNFPA (lead), UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, and UN
the CECAP Secretariat. Women. Implementing partners: Government
of Mozambique; ministries of youth and sports,
Programmes and partners education and human development, health, gender,
child and social affairs, and justice; and civil society
UNFPA, UNESCO, UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF organizations.

Title of programme Funding

Action for Girls and Young Women’s Sexual and Swedish International Development Cooperation
Reproductive Health in Mozambique (Rapariga Biz). Agency (SIDA).

Objective Civil Society Forum for Child Rights – ROSC

The help girls and young women in two provinces
realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights Title of programme
by improving their capacity make informed choices and Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy in
their access to related services. Mozambique: A Community Intervention Approach.

Description Objective
Rapariga Biz is the first ‘One UN’ programme for To ensure that: adolescent girls at risk of, and affected
adolescent girls in the country, bringing together by, child marriage are better able to express and
UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCO. The exercise their choices; households demonstrate positive
programme strategy is based on the safe space model attitudes and behaviours towards investing in and
(safe space, mentorship and a girls’ network). It aims supporting adolescent girls; relevant human services
to provide the most vulnerable girls and young women systems deliver quality and cost-effective services to
with opportunities for social participation, leadership, meet the needs of adolescent girls; national laws, policy
citizenship, life skills, literacy, economic empowerment frameworks and mechanisms to protect and promote
and information on sexual and reproductive health adolescent girls’ rights are in line with international
and rights. Community-based adolescent sexual and standards and are properly resourced.
reproductive health service delivery and economic
empowerment activities further enhance the availability Description
and quality of services and information at the The programme supports adolescent girls in
community level, including capacity development for intervention areas to access and remain in primary and
such services when targeted to adolescents. Activities lower-secondary school or non-formal education. It
also involve families, communities, community and further supports non-formal, primary and secondary

53
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

schools to implement interventions to improve the and course completion, which include obtaining an
quality of education for adolescent girls. Through identity card, developing a safety plan, a life plan and a
community dialogues it promotes gender equitable savings plan.
norms, including the delay of child marriage. The
programme works with service delivery points in Programme scope
implementation areas to ensure that the guidelines for The project started in March 2014; no end date has
adolescent girl-friendly health and protection services been set. It targets unmarried, in-school girls, aged
are operational. 12 to 15, in grades 6 and 7 in Marrere and Napipine in
Nampula and in Beira City. By July 2017, approximately
Programme scope 1,200 girls had benefited directly from the programme.
The programme started in 2015 and will run for three So far, transition rates from primary to secondary
years. It targets girls aged 10 to 19 years old at risk school have dropped from 83 per cent to 35 per
of and affected by child marriage in seven provinces: cent among project participants, and rates of early
Maputo, Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, Nampula, Cabo pregnancy have fallen from 46 per cent to 13.5 per cent.
Delgado and Niassa. The total target population is
1,750 girls, 250 in each province. By March 2017, the Up-scaling opportunities
programme had reached approximately 1,000 girls in The aim is for Project Mwarusi to become a nationwide
Maputo, Sofala and Manica. intervention model that can be endorsed by any school.
The project will be scaled up to the City of Beira in
Partners Sofala province from March 2017 to September 2018.
Forty-three members of CECAP, members of national
and international NGOs, UNFPA and UNICEF. Partners
CECAP; HELPO (a Portuguese organization); Hospital
Funding and Health Clinic of Marrere; Social Business School;
Terre des Hommes Germany. Ministry of Education and Human Development;
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action; Catholic
Girl Move Foundation Mission of Marrere; São Pedro Parish (Napipine);
Population Council; Pressley Ridge Portugal; Católica
Title of programme University, Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal; Católica
Projecto Mwarusi. Acredita em ti! University de Mozambique; Eduardo Mondlane,
University, Maputo; Lúrio University, Nampula;
Objective Pedagógica University, Nampula; Politécnica University,
To decrease levels of child marriage and early Nampula, Zambeze, Beira; Women and Law in Southern
pregnancy through better secondary-school access for Africa Research and Education Trust.
girls, increased use of non-formal education, improved
health and hygiene behaviours and knowledge. Funding
The project in Nampula is funded by the Girl Move
Description Foundation, which is financed by the Portuguese private
The project is an innovative pilot supporting young sector. The funding for Beira will be provided by the
girls (or marusis, which means ‘girl’ or ‘maiden’ in the
United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
local dialect) in 6th and 7th grade. The project is led
Relief (PEPFAR) through the DREAMS
by mentors recruited from the ‘Girl Move Academy’
Innovation Challenge.
(university graduates). The mentors act as role
models and demonstrate to the girls that they can
Plan International Mozambique
dream bigger and aim higher for their education and
professional life. The training and education provided by
Title of programme
the mentors is conducted in safe spaces offered by the
Yes I Do Programme.
community. It focuses on school support and life skills,
which include financial literacy training. The duration
Objectives
of the intervention with the girls is currently one
To ensure that girls in intervention sites are protected
year, with an extra 6 months (two sessions a month
from child marriage and are able to decide when and
focused on the establishment of personal savings and
with whom they will marry and have children.
income-generating activities). The project is measuring
impact through the number of girls that transition from
primary to secondary school and rates related to school
dropout, project attendance, pregnancy, child marriage

54
Description Partners
The programme is working with champions of change Members of the Yes I Do Alliance: The Civil Society
to bring about behavioural change in matters related Forum for Child Rights in Mozambique, Population
to harmful practices that compromise girl’s rights. It Services International (PSI), Associação Coalizão da
is also working with the government and other civil Juventude Moçambicana, Maputo (COALISAO), Men
society organizations on advocacy for legal reform to for Change Network (HOPEM), CECAP.
ensure better protection against all forms of gender-
based violence. Funding
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Programme scope
The programme, which commenced in 2016 and will be Women and Law in Southern Africa – WLSA
concluded in 2020, works with girls aged 10 to 14 who
are married or at risk of marriage, boys and community Title of programme
members in Nampula province. It addresses community Jornadas de Formação Reflexão de Combate aos
Casamentos Prematuros.
gatekeepers in Nampula province (Mogovolas, Rapale
and Nampula City). The secondary beneficiaries are
Objective
795,579 girls and 5,130,037 people in the general To raise awareness of the National Strategy for
population in Nampula (estimates provided by the Preventing and Combating Child Marriages, ensure that
National Institute of Statistics). organizations plan their interventions in accordance

55
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

with the national strategy and that child marriage is Delgado, Nampula, Zambézia, Tete and Manica. The
recognized as a violation of children’s rights. programme measured its impact by the number of
participants and the number of intervention plans
Description formulated by participating organizations. The direct
The programme provided information to grass- beneficiaries were 150 participants drawn from civil
roots organizations and addressed child marriage in society organizations working on children’s rights.
national and international children’s rights legislation. It is estimated that an additional 650 secondary
Organizations included youth and women’s groups, beneficiaries in participating organizations benefited.
youth parliamentarians, and religious and traditional The training was carried out in four provinces, with
leaders. An accompanying training manual allowed more than 100 participants in total; 100 intervention
participating organizations to replicate the training. The plans were designed in correspondence with the
contents covered children’s rights, cultural values and national strategy.
practices that undermine rights, including sexual and
reproductive rights. Partners
UNICEF and CECAP.
Programme scope
The programme (April 2016-June 2017) was Funding
implemented in six provincial capitals: Niassa, Cabo UNICEF.

© UNFPA Kenya

56
South Sudan result of child marriage is a leading cause of maternal
mortality (maternal mortality in South Sudan is 2,054
In South Sudan, an estimated 52 per cent of girls are deaths per 100,000 live births). This means that a
married before age 18 and 9 per cent are married 15-year-old girl in South Sudan has a greater chance of
before age 15.93 Polygamy is common, with 41 per cent dying in childbirth than of finishing school.100, 101
of unions involving more than one wife.94
Government commitment and
Drivers of child marriage policy environment

According to data95 collected prior to the outbreak of The Transitional Constitution of South Sudan (2011)
conflict in 2013, pastoralists’ areas showed the highest provides women and men with equal rights with
rates of child marriage, while girls in urban areas respect to entering marriage: “No marriage shall be
tended to stay in school and marry at an older age (not entered into without the free and full consent of the
coincidentally, urban areas have more schools, including man and woman intending to marry.” The Child Act
secondary schools and and beyond). With ongoing (2008) accords every child the right to be protected
conflict, displacement and food shortages, all of South from early marriage and stipulates that “every female
Sudan is considered a high-risk area for child marriage.96 child has a right to be protected from sexual abuse,
Based on information collected from community exploitation and gender-based violence including rape,
members during monitoring visits, separated and incest, early and forced marriage, female circumcision
unaccompanied adolescent girls are at increased risk of and FGM.” Different ethnic groups have customary
child marriage.97 Extended family members often identify laws that may contradict national laws and that often
marriage as the only solution for an adolescent girl who discriminate against women. For example, in the case
is separated from her primary caregivers. of rape of an unmarried woman/girl, she may be forced
by customary law to marry the perpetrator, with the
Community expectations are widespread that girls perpetrator expected to pay a bride price to her family.
should be married as they reach puberty, which is
connected to the belief that childbearing should start The Government of South Sudan is committed to
early to maximize the number of children a woman addressing the challenges and accelerating the eradication
will have over her lifetime. With limited secondary of child marriage as part of the implementation of the
education options, parents may see marriage as 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
the only option for girls. Only 6.2 per cent of girls
complete primary school and, of these, 20.4 per cent of
Coordination
females drop out of secondary school due to marriage,
pregnancy or lack of food and insecurity.98 The concept
A Child Marriage Task Force has been established
of girls as ‘investments’ typically means that girls
under the leadership of the Ministry of Gender,
are consigned to marriage at an age when the family
Child and Social Welfare with support from UNFPA
believes they will fetch the highest bride price, which
and UNICEF. The task force is coordinating and co-
often coincides with menarche. A girl who refuses
implementing national efforts to develop a National
marriage may face severe sanctions, including beating,
Action Plan to prevent child marriage, a national road
ostracization and imprisonment.99
map, campaign and policy to address and end child
marriage in South Sudan. The task force meets once a
Child marriage is also often perceived as the safest
option, since the risk of pregnancy outside of marriage month and is open to all relevant UN agencies, NGOs
is considered more harmful. Early pregnancy as a and civil society organizations.

93
UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on Sudan Household Health Survey 2010.
94
CARE, ‘Inequality and Injustice: The deteriorating situation for women and girls in South Sudan’s war. A progressive gender analysis: 2013 – 2016,
http://insights.careinternational.org.uk/publications/inequality-and-injustice-the-deteriorating-situation-for-women-and-girls-in-south-sudan-s-war (accessed 1 September 2017).
95
Sudan Household Health Survey 2010.
96
No prevalence study on child marriage has been conducted since the onset of the conflict in December 2013.
97
Stakeholder interview.
98
Education Cluster Assessment 2016, 2009/2010 Basic Education Statistics report.
99
Stakeholder interview.
100
Index Mundi, https://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?v=2223 (accessed 28 July 2017).
101
Human Rights Watch website, March 2013, ‘This Old Man Can Feed Us, You Will Marry Him: Child and forced marriage in South Sudan’,
www.hrw.org/report/2013/03/07/old-man-can-feed-us-you-will-marry-him/child-and-forced-marriage-south-sudan (accessed 28 July 2017).

57
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

The national Gender-Based Violence Sub-Cluster is Funding

chaired by UNFPA and co-chaired by the International UNFPA.
Medical Corps; UNFPA and UNICEF provide technical
and financial support. UNICEF leads the Child UNFPA
Protection Sub-Cluster.
Title of programme
Programmes and partners Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response
Targeting Women and Adolescent Girls.
UNFPA
Objective
Title of programme Ensuring protection of women and girls and life-
Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive saving services in response to gender-based violence,
Health/HIV Services. including in emergencies.

Objective Description
To make reproductive health information and youth- This is an integrated programme that aims to ensure
friendly health services, including age-appropriate and the safety and dignity of women and girls, including
gender-sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention, accessible to through access to life-saving services related to
adolescents and youth. gender-based violence. The programme seeks to create
awareness on gender-based violence prevention,
Description risk mitigation, and available gender-based violence/
The project aims to improve access for young people (10 adolescent sexual and reproductive health services.
to 24 years old) to comprehensive sexuality education It establishes safe spaces for mobilization and
and youth-friendly reproductive health services and psychosocial support, case management and referrals
information, including HIV prevention. It does so by to other specialized services. Social and recreation
equipping health facilities with materials and supplies activities aim to increase adolescent girls’ participation.
and training health service providers in syndromic The project is being implemented from 2016 to 2021,
management of sexually transmitted infections. The with a possible extension and geographic expansion
programme is also engaged in community mobilization starting in 2018.
activities, including sensitization and community
dialogue. Support is provided for community- and Partners
school-based activities, including training of physical Intersos, International Medical Corps.
education teachers on sexual and reproductive health/
HIV and comprehensive sexuality education and on Funding
human rights and gender equality. These activities aim Common Humanitarian Fund.
to strengthen the work initiated by the Y-Peer Network
in raising community-awareness and improving referral UNICEF
pathways for youth-friendly services and HIV prevention,
teenage pregnancy and child marriage. Title of programme
Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence.
Programme scope
Reproductive health information and youth-friendly Objective
health services are provided through two health To ensure that survivors of gender-based violence have
facilities in Juba and Terekeka. The service sites are access to quality services.
accessible to approximately 10,000 adolescents and
youth. UNFPA is planning to extend this project to Description
Jonglei State by June 2017. The above activities will The programme includes activities that are relevant
also be implemented in conflict-affected areas. The for child marriage prevention and mitigation, such as
project duration is from 2016 to 2021, with a possible a transit centre in Juba, which provides emergency
extension and geographic expansion starting in 2018. shelter for vulnerable women and children (including
girls fleeing child marriage). ‘Women and Girls’ Friendly
Partners Spaces’ offer referral services along with psychosocial
Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Ministry of support, recreation and skills building (literacy,
Health, Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports, Ministry numeracy, sanitary pad-making, knitting, sewing,
of General Education and Instruction, UNESCO. etc.). The skills-building activities have an income-

58
generating component but are not a fully-fledged Objective
income-generating programme. The child protection To ensure girls stay in school.
programming is implemented through the WASH
(water, sanitation and hygiene) programme approach, Description
which supports facility improvements at schools and The programme provides case management and
distributes dignity kits, prioritizing girl’s enrolment and prevention of gender-based violence (including child
retention. The programme also supports reproductive marriage) for children affected by conflict; it also
health care throughout the country and aims to raises awareness on child marriage in the community
increase adolescent access to reproductive health and offers shelter for vulnerable children, including
services. The Community Care programme component survivors.
works with communities to transform harmful social
norms into more positive and gender-equitable social Programme scope
norms. At the field level, the programme works with The 6- to 12-month programme addresses vulnerable
local and traditional leaders, including religious leaders. girls under 18 years of age in urban Juba. The
programme has found that it is able to protect girls that
The programme supported the development of a Social are under threat of marriage.
Protection Policy, which was adopted in 2016, and the
development of the 2008 Child Act; it will support the Funding
eventual updating of the Child Act. UNICEF Common Humanitarian Fund.

Programme scope Plan International South Sudan

The programme has been implemented since 2007 as
part of the UNICEF gender-based violence programme Title of programme
and does not have a specific end date. The annual Because I am a Girl (BIAAG).
target for 2017 is to reach 160,000 women, girls, boys
and men. It prioritizes women and children, but men Objective
and boys are important to include in prevention and To promote girls’ rights to education and freedom from
behaviour change activities. By March 2017, 31,868 rights violations and abuse.
people had been reached in Central Equatoria (Juba and
Yei), Western Equatoria (Yambio and Mundri), Jonglei Description
(Bor, Twic East and Pibor) and Upper Nile (Fashoda). The programme seeks to influence communities, families
and governments through advocacy to stop harmful
Preliminary results from ongoing research by Johns traditional practices that limit girls’ abilities to enjoy their
Hopkins University reveal that parents in intervention right to take part in the community. The programme
areas are increasingly delaying the marriage of their works with girls and boys, community leaders, parents,
daughters and keeping them in school longer. Results the government and other stakeholders to create a
also show that women have growing decision-making supportive environment for girls.
power within the home.
Programme scope
Partners The 10-year (2012-2022) programme is targeting a
Community Care programme: Voice for Change and population of 90,000 in Yei. Approximately 50,000
Sudd Relief and Development Action (SRDA). General had been reached by March 2017.
Gender-Based Violence programme: Confident Children
out of Conflict, American Refugee Committee and Israel Up-scaling opportunities
Forum for International Humanitarian Aid (IsraAID). Plan International South Sudan is currently working to
scale up the programme to other locations.
Funding
United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and Partners
the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The programme is implemented in partnership with the
Yei local government.
Confident Children Out of Conflict – CCC
Funding
Title of programme Sponsorships and grants.
Case Management and Prevention of Gender-Based
Violence for Children Affected by Conflict.

59
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Tanzania to be sexually active.112 Girls are routinely tested for

pregnancy in school and pregnant girls are expelled. In
Thirty-six per cent of girls in Tanzania are married a 2013 study, the Centre for Reproductive Rights found
by age 18 and 7 per cent are married by age 15.102, 103 that the wide practice of pregnancy testing in schools
The rates for child marriage vary by region, urban or and banning girls from re-entering school after childbirth
rural residence, religion and socio-economic status lacked support in the country’s legislation.113
in Tanzania’s 31 political administrative regions and
among its 120 ethnic groups. Dodoma, Lindi, Rukwa Other practices associated with child marriage include
and Tabora as well as Mara, Morogoro and Shinyanga FGM/C and initiation ceremonies that vary according to
have reported high proportions of girls married by age the cultural customs of various ethnic groups.114
15.104 Nationally, 9 per cent of females ages 20 to 24
are separated, divorced or widowed, with Lindi and Dar Government commitment and policy environment
es Salaam showing the highest rates.105
The sections of the 1971 Marriage Act allowing girls
Drivers of child marriage to marry at age 15 with parental consent and at age
14 with court permission were ruled unconstitutional
Marriage is perceived to protect a girl against poverty in July 2016 by Tanzania’s High Court. The Education
and provide a reprieve for the family.106 Girls from poor Act (1978), which prohibits child marriage while at
school, is also being reviewed. Actors working to prevent
households are twice as likely to marry as children
child marriage find existing laws inadequate and point
compared to girls from wealthy households.107 The lack
out that ethnic and regional variations are allowed to
of access to affordable education, particularly secondary
override national commitments.115
education, is also associated with high prevalence rates.
In 2015, the Population Council found that married girls
The Sexual Offences Special Provision Act of 1998
were disproportionately illiterate: 58 per cent of females
guarantees equality for women and protects women
aged 15 to 24 who were married by age 15 were illiterate,
and children from sexual and other violence, including
compared to 12 per cent of their unmarried peers.108
FGM/C. The narrow definition of rape leaves married
women and girls largely unprotected from sexual
Teenage pregnancy is both a driver and a consequence
violence by their husbands.116
of child marriage: 44 per cent of women are either
mothers or pregnant with their first child by age
The costed National Plan of Action to End Violence Against
19; 23 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 have already
Women and Children in Tanzania 2017/2018-2021/2022,
begun childbearing.109,110 Poor knowledge of sexuality,
launched by the Minister for Health, Community
contraceptive methods and lack of access to sexual
Development, Gender, Elderly and Children contains
and reproductive health services increases the risk for
targets to reduce teenage pregnancy from 27 to 5 per cent,
unintended teen pregnancies.111 Society disapproves of
to reduce FGM/C prevalence from 32 to 11 per cent, and
pregnancy outside marriage, and parents tend to marry
reduce child marriage rates from 47 to 10 per cent.
off a daughter to her sexual partner if she is found

102
DHS 2015-2016.
103
United Nations Children’s Fund, 2016, The State of the World’s Children 2016, UNICEF, New York.
104
United Nations Children’s Fund, 2010, Children and Women in Tanzania, Volume 1: Mainland, UNICEF Tanzania, Dar es Salaam,
www.unicef.org/tanzania/SITAN_Mainland_report.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
105
Population Council, Tanzania Commission for AIDS, Zanzibar AIDS Commission, and the United Nations Children’s Fund, 2015, The Adolescent Experience In-depth: Using data
to identify and reach the most vulnerable young people, Tanzania 2009-2012, Population Council, TACAIDS, ZAC and UNICEF Tanzania, Dar es Salaam,
www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/2015PGY_AdolDataGuidesTanzania2009-12.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
106
Stakeholder interview.
107
DHS 2010.
108
Population Council et al., 2015.
109
Human Rights Watch, 2014, ‘No Way Out. Child Marriage and Human Rights Abuses in Tanzania’,
www.hrw.org/report/2014/10/29/no-way-out/child-marriage-and-human-rights-abuses-tanzania (accessed 1 September 2017).
110
United Nations Children’s Fund, 2010, Children and Women in Tanzania.
111
Stakeholder interview.
112
Stakeholder interview.
113
Center for Reproductive Rights, 2013, Forced out – Mandatory pregnancy testing and the expulsion of pregnant students in Tanzanian schools,
https://www.reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/crr_Tanzania_Report_Part1.pdf (accessed 15 September 2017).
114
Stakeholder interview.
115
Stakeholder interview.
116
Otoo-Oyortey, N., A. Kwateng-Kluvitse and L. Howard-Merrill, 2016, Now Girls Know their Rights: Lessons from an intervention on child marriage and female genital mutilation in
Mara Region, Tanzania, Forward, London, http://forwarduk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Forward-Tanzania-Report-Compressed.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).

60
Coordination 11 districts representing some of the most marginalized
Key stakeholders identified a need for clarifying communities in rural parts of Pwani, Morogoro, Iringa
mandates among UN organizations, while national and Tanga regions. The Learner Guide Programme
NGOs also need support to strengthen coordination, preparations started in 2013; it became operational
the dissemination of existing policies and in 2014. By March 2017, 873 young women had been
implementation of existing plans. trained as Learner Guides and 107,282 children have
been supported by Learner Guide activities.
Programmes and partners
The project has been effective in increasing learning
Campaign for Female Education outcomes among marginalized girls. It has also
Tanzania - Camfed demonstrated a rise in academic confidence among
students in intervention schools and improved
Title of programme retention.117 The likelihood of a marginalized girl dropping
The Learner Guide Programme. out of school between the baseline and the midline was
38 per cent greater for those in comparison schools
Objective than in Camfed partner schools. Research conducted by
To inform vulnerable girls about their rights and choices the REAL centre found that Camfed support improved
and decrease pregnancy and marriage rates using the both retention and learning rates of marginalized girls.
well-being, sexual and reproductive health and life-skills On average, marginalized girls who received Camfed
curriculum developed specifically for the Learner Guide support almost tripled their learning scores in contrast
programme. to their peers who did not receive support. Academic
success provides girls with more opportunities, career
Description options and greater control over whom and when they
Rural-based young women graduates (who are part marry. Camfed alumni have a higher average age of first
of an alumni association called CAMA) are supported marriage than the national average.
to return to their local schools, where they are tasked
to provide encouragement to marginalized school Up-scaling opportunities
girls and deliver a tailored life-skills and well-being CAMA is a sustainable and effective force for change
programme to complement the academic curriculum. and members are improving opportunities for the next
The weekly Learner Guide sessions are an opportunity generation through their dedicated philanthropy. As
for girls to ask questions or raise concerns with the CAMA network grows, so too will the number of
someone they can relate to and trust. In return for Learner Guides wishing to support vulnerable children
their commitment, the young women graduates, called in school, multiplying the returns of their own education
Learner Guides, gain access to interest-free loans to to the benefit of their communities. This will lead to
start local businesses and to a mobile technology a greater mass of marginalized girls benefiting from
platform through which they can connect with each vital life-skills sessions delivered by local female role
other and access new resources. The initiative is models, who will hopefully become inspired to become
enabling young women to transition to a secure Learner Guides themselves after school.
adulthood while simultaneously providing a platform
from which they can support vulnerable girls at school Partners
to navigate the same transition, thereby helping them Ministries of education, science and technology, social
avoid early marriage and pregnancy. welfare and health; National Examination Council
and Institute of Education; Community Development
Programme scope Committees; parent representatives; teachers;
The programme benefits vulnerable children traditional and religious leaders; and young women.
(particularly girls) and recent graduates from secondary
school. It has been operational since 2014 and is being Funding
implemented in 137 lower secondary schools covering DFID, The Queen’s Trust, Pearson International.

117
The Midline Survey Report (revised May 2016) for the project, ‘A New Equilibrium for Girls’, funded under DFID’s Girls’ Education Challenge Step Change Window, provides an
evaluation of Camfed’s interventions in 991 government secondary schools in 24 districts in Zimbabwe and 11 districts in the United Republic of Tanzania, including the Learner
Guide Programme. The University of Cambridge Research for Equitable Access and Learning Centre (2016) analysed data collected over a two-year period for approximately
2,500 girls in rural Tanzania.

61
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

“The programme has been implemented since 2007 as part

of the UNICEF gender-based violence programme and does
not have a specifi c end date. The annual target for 2017 is
to reach 160,000 women, girls, boys and men.”

Centre Against Gender-Based Violence five in-school and five out-of-school clubs. The clubs
meet monthly and members are trained in life skills,
Title of programme leadership and sexual and reproductive health. The
Say No to Early Marriage. programme is using a rights-based approach in which
women and girls, boys, men, families, traditional and
Objective religious leaders, teachers, the police, lawyers, health
To reduce the number of early marriages and early workers, the media and civil society organizations are
pregnancies by at least 40 per cent within three years. called upon to challenge discriminatory gender norms.

Description Programme scope

The programme implements participatory drama The three-year programme (2016-2018) targets 4,500
workshops with girls. The resulting skits are presented girls and young women (aged 9 to 17 years) in and out of
to larger audiences in the form of theatre, where the school in Tarime district, Mara region. By April 2017, the
audience learns about the potential consequences of programme had reached 1,500, about a third of its target.
child marriage and early pregnancy.
Partners
Programme scope Local and national government agencies, local
The one-year programme (until July 2017) aims to authorities and existing child protection structures,
reach 2,000 people in three wards (areas), which Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and
includes 60 direct participants and a total audience of Development (FORWARD), Plan International, Right
1,940 community members. to Play, Chama Cha Uzazi na Malezi Bora Tanzania
(UMATI), Wadada Centre.
Partners
Ward executive officers and village leaders. Funding
Comic Relief.
Funding
Annual contribution by members. Forum for African Women Educationalists
Tanzania – FAWETZ
Children’s Dignity Forum – CDF
Title of programme
Title of programme Tuseme Empowerment Programme.
Mobilizing Action to Safeguard the Rights of Girls
in Tanzania. Objective
To empower girls to fully participate in decision-making,
Objective public speaking and expressing their views, defending
To respond to multiple forms of gender-based violence their rights and taking up leadership positions in the
against girls and young women, particularly those living community.
in rural areas confronting entrenched social norms and
discriminatory laws and policies. Description
‘Tuseme’ (a Swahili word meaning ‘Let us speak out’) is a
Description gender empowerment programme designed to help both
The programme addresses gender-based violence, girls and boys identify and talk about gender limitations
child marriage and FGM/C. To do so it has established affecting their academic and social development.

62
Tuseme uses a participatory methodology and theatre Description
for development techniques to make the community Plan International Tanzania is running multiple projects
aware of the importance of education, especially for girls. concurrently to address child marriage in different
FAWETZ also provides livelihood and vocational skills for locations in Tanzania. The projects are designed within
girls through separate support from grants. the framework of Tanzania’s national policy documents
on child protection and child rights.
Programme scope
The programme started in 2007 and is ongoing. The One of the projects offers training and awareness-
training takes place over three to five days in 17 districts raising activities to sensitize the community about child
(seven schools in each district). The target population per marriage and related child protection issues, such as
gender-based violence and FGM/C. Another of Plan’s
year is more than 700,600 students.
projects uses soccer as a medium to engage community
stakeholders to address issues around child marriage.
The Tuseme programme was evaluated in 2015 by the
In this project, Plan International Tanzania is setting up
Government of Tanzania and UNICEF. It showed that local football leagues and organizing matches to offer a
the number of teenage pregnancies has dropped in platform for dialogue between participants and a space
intervention areas. where information dissemination about child marriage
can take place. Girls are reached with information
Up-scaling opportunities about sexual and reproductrive health through similar
Replication of Tuseme to other schools is ongoing. For events. The vocational and entrepreneurship training
example, Mtwara Rural District rolled out Tuseme in all project is offered directly to several hundred girls to
118 primary schools. equip them with skills that will increase their chances
of gaining self-employment in the future. Community-
Partners based training centres are established to reduce barriers
of access to vocational training for girls with babies.
Community and traditional leaders, opinion leaders and
Girls are supported to establish savings groups. Other
like-minded organizations, community development
community-wide savings groups for parents will also
officials and social welfare workers, Ministry of
be established to provide alternative sources of income
Education, Science and Technology, Tanzania Education
for families. The project will work to identify capacity
Network /Mtandao wa Elimu Tanzania (TEN/MET) and gaps within local civil society organizations and facilitate
development partners. capacity-building in selected areas, such as financial and
operational management.
Funding
African Initiative, Children in Crisis Italy (CIC), FAWETZ, Programme scope
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Save the The programmes are implemented in Mara, Geita,
Children, UNESCO, UNICEF. Ifakara, Rukwa regions and work with both unmarried
and married girls, 10-19 years old.
Plan International - Tanzania
The programme is currently being evaluated.
Title of programme
Partners
Preventing Child Marriage in Tanzania.
The programme works with local partners – Children’s
Dignity Forum (CDF), New Light Children Center
Objective
Organization (NELICO), and is a member of the Ending
To change perceptions and attitudes towards child Child Marriage Network (TECMN).
marriage by working directly with girls and with parents,
teachers and local authorities such as Ward Development Funding
Committees and Village Development Committees and European Commission, NORAD, German Federal
traditional and religious leaders. Ministry for Economic Development Cooperation (BMZ).

63
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

“The likelihood of
a marginalized girl
dropping out of
school between the
baseline and the
midline was 38 per
cent greater for those
in comparison schools
than in Camfed
partner schools.”

© UNFPA Ethiopia

64
Uganda Traditionally, puberty is seen as a signifier of readiness
for marriage. In fact, there is a taboo in some ethnic
In Uganda, 40 per cent of girls are married by age groups against the girl staying with her original family
18 and 10 per cent are married by age 15. Arranged after she has started menstruating. Child marriage,
marriages for adolescent girls118 without their consent adolescent sexuality, and unplanned pregnancies are
are common, especially in rural areas.119,120,121 Kampala interlinked, and it has been shown that pre-marital
tends to have lower rates of child marriage while pregnancy precipitates child marriage.127 For a girl who
Karamoja and the north have the highest, followed by gets pregnant, marriage may be the only option.128 In
the eastern, east central and western areas.112 a study from eastern Uganda, adolescents attributed
teenage pregnancy and subsequent child marriage to a
Drivers of child marriage lack of parental care and concern, especially inadequate
provision of basic necessities, lack of control over
Child marriage in Uganda is driven by a complex set girls’ mobility, and inadequate parental guidance and
of factors that includes traditional cultural norms mistreatment of girls at home.129
and societal expectations of and by the girl child,
exacerbated by gender discrimination, low education In conflict and humanitarian settings, marrying early
levels, poverty and lack of capacity to enforce may be seen as a survival strategy due to insecurity,
government policies and national laws.123 There is an displacement, loss of family and trauma as well as
expectation of bride price, and in the eastern part of difficulties continuing education due to a lack of safety
Uganda this is often paid in the form of cows. Family and access to schools. In these settings, informal
marriages may be more common because boys are not
destitution may increase the pressure on girls to get
able to pay any bride price and sanctioned marriages
married since parents often assume that marriage will
are rare.130 Forced marriages as well as the abduction of
benefit them both financially and socially, while also
young girls and women into marriage with the rebels
relieving financial burdens on the family. The marriage
have been reported in northern Uganda.131 Child marriage
or betrothal of children in some parts of Uganda is
is reportedly more prevalent among the internally
valued as a means of consolidating powerful relations
displaced and those in refugee camps.132 As the economy
among families, for sealing deals over land or other
deteriorates in some areas of Uganda, there are fears
property, or even for settling disputes.124 that this will lead to a rise in this harmful practice.

The higher incidence of early marriage and teenage Government commitment and
pregnancy in eastern and northern regions is linked policy environment
to low levels of secondary school retention for girls,
limited access and utilization of family planning The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the
methods, and cultural practices.125 FGM/C affects about Penal Code (amendment) Act (2007) set the legal age
90 per cent of the girls among the Pokot, Sabiny and of marriage or engagement in sexual acts at 18 years. The
other communities spread across six districts in north- Penal Code Act, section 129, stipulates that any person
eastern Uganda.126 who performs a sexual act with another person below

UNICEF global databases, 2016, based on DHS 2011.

118

International Federation for Human Rights and Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, 2012, ‘Women’s Rights in Uganda: Gaps between policy and practice’,
119

Kampala (unpublished).
120
Bantebya, G. K, F. K. Muhanguzi and C. Watson, 2014, Adolescent Girls and Gender Justice: Changes and continuity in social norms and practices around marriage and education in
Uganda, Overseas Development Institute, London.
Bantebya, G. K., F. K. Muhanguzi and C. Watson, 2013 Adolescent Girls and Gender Justice: Understanding key capability domains in Uganda, Overseas Development
121

Institute, London.
122
Government of Uganda and UNICEF Uganda, The National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy 2014/2015-2019/2020: A society free from child
marriage and teenage pregnancy, www.unicef.org/uganda/NATIONAL_STRATEGY_ON_CHILD_MARRIAGE-PRINT_READY.pdf. (accessed 1 September 2017).
123
Stakeholder interview.
124
Joy for Children, 2013, ‘Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Uganda’, Kampala (unpublished), www.joyforchildren.org.
125
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Makerere University, 2017.
126
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, 2017.
127
Bantebya, Muhanguzi and Watson, 2014.
128
Ochan W., C. Nalugwa and F. A. Apuuri, ‘Too Young for Motherhood: Profile, consequences and drivers of teenage pregnancy In Uganda,’ in: The Republic of Uganda and
UNFPA Uganda, 2013, The State of Uganda Population 2013 Report, pp. 118-130.
129
Sekiwunga, R., and S. R. Whyte, December 2009, ‘Poor Parenting: Teenagers’ views on adolescent pregnancies in eastern Uganda’, African Journal of Reproductive Health, vol.
13, no. 4, pp. 113-127.
Schlecht, J, E. Rowley and J. Babirye, 2013, ‘Early Relationships and Marriage in ConfIict and Post-Conflict Settings: Vulnerability of youth in Uganda’, Reproductive Health
130

Matters, vol. 21, no. 41, pp. 234-242.

131
Rubin, D. C., P. Green and A. Mukuria, 2009, ‘Addressing Early Marriage in Uganda’, Futures Group, Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, Washington, D.C.
132
Schlecht, Rowley and Babirye, 2013.

65
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

the age of 18 commits an offence (defilement) and is Objective

liable to life imprisonment. The sentence is death if the To address adolescent girls at risk of and affected by
offence is committed against a child below 14 years of child marriage by strengthening their ability to express
age; if the child is infected with HIV; if the perpetrator themselves and exercise their choices.
is a parent or guardian, a person in authority or a serial
offender; and where the victim is a disabled person Description
(aggravated defilement). Other legal provisions are made The two programmes are complementary and seek
in the Children (amendment) Act (2016), the Domestic to promote socio-economic asset-building for girls in
Violence Act and the Female Genital Mutilation Act. order to prevent child marriage and teenage pregnancy
and to improve accessibility and utilization of age-
The national launch of the AU Campaign to End appropriate sexual and reproductive health information
Child Marriage and the National Strategy on Ending and services by adolescent girls. The programmes
Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy (2014/2015- support a multimedia campaign that engages
2019/2020) were launched in June 2015. The strategy communities (including religious and cultural leaders)
has broad buy-in from within the government structure: in target districts to invest in girls’ education and to
It is headed by the First Lady and is implemented by address gender and rights issues. They initiated Male
the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Action Groups that meet regularly to talk about ways
and includes the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal to prevent adolescent pregnancy. The role of the groups
Affairs, Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister’s Office. is to act as an alert system and report to the local
council cases of child marriage, defilement and gender-
The Universal Primary Education and Universal
based violence. They may also engage communities in
Secondary Education Programme, together with
discussing issues leading to adolescent pregnancy.
initiatives aimed at increasing the number of
girls entering university, have led to a rise in girls’
Programme scope
enrolment and completion of school. The Gender
The five-year programme (2015-2019) is working with
in Education Policy by the Ministry of Education,
girls aged 10-19 years, unmarried and married, in and
Science, Technology and Sports pledges government
out of school. The programme is expected to reach
commitment to facilitate re-entry of girls who drop out
412,012 girls living in I7 districts: Karamoja (7), Eastern
as a result of teenage pregnancy and early marriage.
(7) and Acholi (3). Of the total target population,
Further commitment to end child marriage and teenage
210,877 are in primary school and 119,135 are in
pregnancies is articulated in the revised National
secondary school. In addition, 54,000 out-of-school
Strategy for Girls’ Education in Uganda, the Adolescent
girls will benefit from the economic empowerment
Health Policy (currently under review) and the National
programme. The programme is also expected to reach
Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy.
2,261,530 secondary beneficiaries.

Coordination
By April 2017, 22,459 girls had been enrolled in
empowerment and livelihood clubs; of these, 1,010 (4.5
The government has disseminated the National
Strategy to End Child Marriage through a number per cent) of the girls have started income-generating
of regional and district meetings to raise awareness activities. A total of 756 (670 primary and 86
and to build consensus and support at district levels. secondary) schools receiving support have functional
The strategy includes a multisectoral monitoring and safe spaces. All of the targeted schools have at least
evaluation framework. one staff member trained in sexual and reproductive
health and rights, and all the girls in the schools
Programmes and partners receiving support who have started menstruating are
using hygienic methods and materials to manage it. In
Uganda is one of the focus countries for the UNICEF- addition, 61 per cent of hospitals, 83 per cent of health
UNFPA Global Programme for Accelerating Action to centres IV and 62 per cent of health centres III in the
End Child Marriage. 14 districts have at least two health personnel trained
in providing youth-friendly services. Finally, 131,421
UNFPA adolescents and young people have received sexual and
reproductive health services, 140 Male Action Groups
Title of programme have been formed, and 4,420 parents have been
Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child reached with adolescent/youth sexual and reproductive
Marriage and Better Life for Girls. health messages through community dialogues.

66
Up-scaling opportunities Joy for children Uganda
New donors, such as the Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA), are showing increased Title of programme
interest in programming for adolescent girls. Girls Advocacy Alliance.

Partners Objectives
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, To encourage community adoption of alternative
Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Health, positive cultural norms, values, attitudes and practices
district local governments, BRAC, Straight Talk that protect girls and young women from gender-based
Foundation, Girls Not Brides. violence and economic exclusion.

Funding Description
UK Aid, European Union, KOICA. The programme works with girls and young women
affected by gender-based violence and economic
BRAC Uganda exclusion living in poor rural and urban slum communities.

Title of programme Programme scope

Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents (ELA). The programme (2016-2020) targets girls aged 15 to
19 in Lira, Tororo, Kamuli, Buyende, Alebtong, Bukedea
Objective and in Central Uganda. The total target population
To offer adolescent girls the opportunity for a better life is one million; by March 2017, the programme had
through mentorship, life-skills training and microfinance. reached approximately 200,000.

Description Funding
The programme seeks to empower and provide girls Government of Netherlands, Terres des Hommes,
with opportunities for building assets; it provides Plan International.
safe spaces and life-skills development for girls out
of school. The livelihood/vocational skills component Straight talk foundation
includes demand-driven job training and income-
generation activities. The programme provides Title of programme
improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual and Better Life for Girls.
reproductive health information and services, including
modern contraception. Objective
To contribute to a school environment for adolescent
Programme scope girls that is responsive to their gender and age-specific
The programme, which started in 2007 (no end date) needs related to sexual and reproductive health and
targets out-of-school girls, 10 to 19 years of age, in 19 rights information and services; and to equip health
districts in northern, eastern, central and northeast workers to deliver such information and services.
(Karamoja) regions of Uganda. By April 2017, 24,371
adolescent girls are/have been enrolled in clubs, 681 Description
safe spaces have been created, approximately 500 girls The programme seeks to increase accessibility and
have been trained in livelihood activities such as rearing use of age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health
poultry and livestock, and 22,780 girls have been and rights information and services by adolescent
trained in life skills. girls in school and health facilities. It does so through
the establishment of school empowerment clubs. The
Childbearing among girls involved in the programme programme also supports Male Action Groups in Eastern
were 22 per cent lower than their non-participant Uganda and Karamoja districts, which meet on a monthly
peers. Moreover, knowledge about sexual and basis and engage with the community on early child
reproductive health and condom use increased by 26 marriage and teenage pregnancy issues. Additionally,
per cent among programme participants.133 representatives of cultural institutions that address early/
child marriage in target districts are supported to conduct
early child marriage dialogues in their communities.

Evaluations of programmes include: ‘Women’s Empowerment in Action: Evidence from a randomized control trial on ELA model’ (2015) by the World Bank, London School of
133

Economics and BRAC; ‘The Youth Watch: Problem or promise’, (2012) by the MasterCard Foundation and BRAC; ‘Girls’ Clubs Having “Big and Meaningful” Impacts on Young
Women’s Empowerment’, by the World Bank.

67
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Programme scope Funding

The programme (2016-2020) targets 244,000 in- The Government of Uganda, UNICEF and UNFPA as
school girls aged 10 to 19. By March 2017, 52,000 girls part of the Joint Programme to End FGM/C.
had been reached; 756 school board members and head
teachers from 670 primary and 86 secondary schools in White Ribbon Alliance – WRA
14 districts had been trained in sexual and reproductive
health information and services and supported to Title of programme
monitor and supervise related programmes in their Act Now to End Teenage Pregnancy.
schools. Forty school-based peer educators had received
sexual and reproductive health information and life skills Objectives
(3 peer educators per school, 7 schools per district for To create awareness about the drivers of teenage
2 Acholi districts); 756 girls clubs in schools had been pregnancy among public and political leaders.
supported to make re-usable sanitary pads with local
materials to improve menstrual hygiene management; Description
510 health workers in 153 hospitals, health centres IV The programme is designed as a campaign advocating
and health centres III across 17 districts had received for the implementation of a funded, well-coordinated
refresher training on sexual and reproductive health; and multisectoral plan to end teenage pregnancy in
Uganda that brings together key ministries. It also
40 community-based peer educators had been trained
seeks to empower communities to protect girls’ rights
on sexual and reproductive health information and life
to education and social protection and support girls in
skills; 40 representatives from cultural institutions had
reaching their full potential.
been reached through sensitization and in follow-up
workshops to address child marriage in the districts;
Programme scope
and 70 Male Action Groups in Eastern Uganda and 7
This campaign (2016-2019) is targeted at the
districts in Karamoja had been supported to monitor
national level and five districts. It addresses policy
and report teenage pregnancy and child marriage in
makers, including the Office of the Prime Minister,
their sub-counties. It was noted that advocacy on child
parliamentarians and senior officials in key ministries,
marriage has increased at the national level, including on
district administration, youth, community and
issues related to menstrual hygiene management.
traditional leaders.

Funding
The programme is targeting 1.4 million unmarried
UNFPA, KOICA. and married girls, aged 10 to 19, with a special
focus on those aged 15 to 19 at risk of becoming
The REACH programme pregnant. By March 2017, the programme had reached
approximately 180,000 girls.
Title of programme
Accelerated FGM/C and Child Marriage Abandonment Partners
in Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo. Youth organizations and networks, the National
Population Council, Reproductive Health Uganda,
Objective UNFPA and UNICEF.
To carry out social mobilization to facilitate open and
public declarations of support for abandonment of Funding
FGM/C and child marriage at the community level. Gates Foundation through the White Ribbon Alliance
for Safe Motherhood Global Secretariat for year one.
Description
The programme targets children at risk in the districts World Vision Uganda
and works through children’s grandmothers who have
been trained to drive change at the community level Title of programme
End Violence Against Children.
Programme scope
The eight-year programme (2009-2017) is operating in
Karamoja and Sabiny regions; the target population for Objectives
intervention is more than 500,000. To contribute to adolescent girls’ active participation in
society in targeted areas.

68
Description of age as well survivors of child marriage over age 19.
The programme focuses on empowering girls; The total target population is six million children in 40
raising awareness and policy advocacy at district districts over the course of the programme. By March
and national levels. Interventions include life skills, 2017, approximately 1.2 million children had been reached
health information, economic empowerment and directly by the programme in more than 10 districts.
social protection. The intention is to make households
increasingly aware of the benefits of investing in Partners
adolescent girls and ending child marriage. It seeks Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children (UPFC),
to empower communities to engage duty bearers in Uganda Child Rights NGO Network.
the prevention of child marriage and other forms of
violence against children. Funding
UNICEF, World Vision International Funding
Programme scope and USAID.
The five-year programme started in 2017 and aims to
reach in- and out-of-school girls and boys, 6 to 19 years

69
© UNFPA Ethiopia
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Zambia great significance to friendships, social approval and

acceptance among peers and the community at large.
Adolescents are also highly influenced by the actions and
In Zambia, 31 per cent of girls are married before age
behaviours of their peers, which include child marriage.
18 and 6 per cent are married before age 15.134 Although
Poverty is another factor driving child marriage in the
prevalence is high throughout the country, the
context of the reported commercialization of sex, where
Eastern province is reported to have the highest rates,
girls exchange sex for small gifts and may end up pregnant
especially Chadiza, Katete and Petauke districts.135, 136
and forced to marry.
Drivers of child marriage
Government commitment and
policy environment
The practice of child marriage is more common in
children from poor families and among those living
The existing legal framework in Zambia is not absolute
in rural areas, not attending school and who are
in terms of defining the minimum age for marriage. The
pregnant. It is also more common among orphans and
legal system is dualist in nature and, as a result, marriages
stepchildren, among those considered ‘difficult’ or ‘hard
can take place in accordance with either customary or
to manage’, and who are without adequate supervision
statutory law.147 The Marriage Act establishes the legal
or support.137, 138 Girls’ lack of access to education
age for marriage at 21, but also allows younger people
contributes to the likelihood of child marriage: 65 per
to marry subject to written consent from a parent
cent of women aged 20 to 24 with no education were
or guardian. For those requiring consent, section 33
married or in union by the age of 18, compared to 17 per
stipulates that both parties must be at least 16 years
cent of women with a secondary or higher education.139
old – otherwise the marriage will be void. However, this
provision can be averted by an application to a judge of
Zambia has a complex situation with different types of
the High Court, who can consent to a marriage if the
child marriages. The majority of child-to-child marriages
particular circumstances of the case are not contrary to
are not ‘forced’, and peer marriages are common in some
the public interest. The National Gender Policy defines
areas.140 The majority of these marriages do not adhere to
‘child marriage’ as marriage of children younger than 18
traditional processes and the bride price is tokenistic, made
years. The Education Act (part IV, section 18) provides
as an ‘IOU’ (a signed document acknowledging a debt), or
for offences against any person who marries a student, or
not paid at all.141 These marriages may not last and divorce
takes a child out of school to be married.
is common.142 The decision to marry is often pragmatic.
Children are looking for ways to escape harsh treatment
by parents or intolerable living conditions in the family Zambia launched its national campaign to end child
home.143 In situations where there are limited life choices, marriage in April 2013. A National Strategy on Ending Child
marriage offers the possibility of having a recognized, Marriage in Zambia for 2016-2021 was approved in April
respected role in society. Additionally, it situates teenage 2016. A costed National Action Plan was signed in 2017.
pregnancy within a formalized relationship – making
it more acceptable. Another perceived benefit is the Coordination
reduction in the number of dependents in a household.144
Families see an additional source of labour as another The Ministry of Gender is responsible for the
potential benefit. Peer pressure is yet another possible coordination of 11 ministries, which are tasked with
factor in adolescents’ desire to get married. They attach working on preventing and mitigating child marriage.148

134
UNICEF global databases, based on DHS 2012-2014.
135
Plan International Zambia, 2016, https://plan-international.org/zambia/girls-act-against-child-marriage (accessed 1 September 2017).
136
Zambia Daily Mail, 1 February 2017, Plan International launches “Yes I do” project to end child marriages’
https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/plan-international-launches-yes-i-do-project-to-end-child-marriages/ (accessed 1 September 2017).
137
Mann, Gillian, Padraig Quigley and Rosal Fischer, April 2015, ‘Qualitative Study of Child Marriage in Six Districts of Zambia’, produced by Child Frontiers for UNICEF Zambia,
www.unicef.org/zambia/Qualitative_study_of_child_marriage_in_six_districts_of_Zambia.pdf (accessed 1 September 2017).
138
Zambia Ministry of Gender, 2016, Zambia National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage in Zambia 2016-2021.
139
UNFPA Zambia, Child Marriage Country Profile, 2012.
140
Mann et al., 2015.
141
Mann et al., 2015.
142
Mann et al., 2015.
143
Stakeholder interview.
144
Stakeholder interview.
145
Mann et al., 2015.
146
Zambia Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance, 2016, ‘Multi-level Barriers to HIV Prevention and Adequate Nutrition among Adolescent Girls’, Lusaka.
147
Munshya, Elias, 18 March 2017, ‘Statutory Recognition of Customary Marriages In Zambia: Reforming colonial marriage laws’, Blog, www.eliasmunshya.org (accessed 1 September 2017).
148
The coordinating mechanism includes the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Services, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of
Sports, Youth and Child Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, the Ministry of General Education, the Ministry of
Higher Education, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

70
Other coordinating mechanisms include the NGO Description
Network on Ending Child Marriages. Women and At the national level, UNICEF is supporting the Ministry
Law in Southern Africa chairs the network and Plan of Gender to develop a national communications and
International Zambia provides the secretariat. advocacy strategy. UNICEF is also supporting the
Civil Society Network on Ending Child Marriage to
Programmes and partners create a social movement to address the drivers of
child marriage. The programme builds on ongoing
UNFPA decentralization processes and supports line ministries
and other stakeholders to coordinate and jointly
Title of programme plan – through district multisectoral work plans –
Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End interventions to address the drivers of child marriage.
Child Marriage. The national theory of change will be contextualized for
districts and identify the demand for services as well as
Objective specific bottlenecks in service delivery. The focus is on
To reduce child marriage by 20 per cent by 2017 in increased enrolment and retention of girls (and boys)
target districts. in school; improved adolescent (and youth) sexual and
reproductive health; the inclusion of peer volunteers;
Description and enhanced child protection, particularly from
The programme is based on the safe space model149 violence, abuse and exploitation, through strengthening
and includes activities to support girls in enrolling in of the child protection system. District capacity will be
and remaining in primary, secondary and non-formal bolstered to gather evidence, advocate and lobby for
education. The safe space curriculum encompasses increased resources.
empowerment and asset-building for girls, life
skills, comprehensive sexuality education, economic Programme scope
empowerment, entrepreneurship for income-generation The programme, which started in 2013 and is ending
and savings activities. in 2019, has both national and district coverage. The
interventions work with and through children, families,
Programme scope traditional and religious leaders and national and
The four-year programme (2015-2019) targets 17,257 subnational policy makers, along with networks of civil
society organizations.
girls aged 10 to 19 in three districts, 190 traditional
leaders, 5,540 men, 5,540 women and 4,485 boys. By
Partners
May 2017, 6,555 girls and 743 boys (a total of 7,298
Ministries of gender, chiefs and traditional affairs,
young people) had been reached with information.
general education, health, and community development
and social services.
Partners
YWCA, Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.
Funding
UK Aid and the European Union.
Funding
UK Aid and the European Union. Forum for African Women Educationalists of
Zambia – FAWE
UNICEF
Title of programme
Title of programme Enhancing Domestic Accountability for Retaining
Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Children in School.
Marriage.
Objective
Objective To empower adolescent girls and young women with
To support the government in developing a model to essential life skills to reduce child marriage.
address drivers of child marriage in two districts.

149
According to UNFPA, a safe space is a formal or informal place where women and girls feel physically and emotionally safe. The term ‘safe’, in the present context, refers
to the absence of trauma, excessive stress, violence (or fear of violence), or abuse. It is a space where women and girls, being the intended beneficiaries, feel comfortable and
enjoy the freedom to express themselves without the fear of judgement or harm.

71
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Description Plan International Zambia

Programme interventions include life skills, negotiation
skills, assertiveness training, self-esteem and economic Title of programme
empowerment through financial savings groups for girls 18+ Programme on Ending Child, Early and
and young women. It also includes four safe houses Forced Marriage.
to shelter girls at risk, survivors of child marriages
and gender-based violence. FAWE provides child Objective
marriage survivors with a scholarship programme to To mobilize girls at risk of child marriage so that they
support their re-entry into the school system, which have the capability to choose if, when and whom to
entails shelter for 100 survivors per year and the marry; to transform, through the building of social
operation of ‘transit’ schools for out-of-school children, movements, the gender norms and practices that drive
which prepare them for re-entry into the mainstream child marriage; and to facilitate an enabling legal and
education system. It also has One Stop Centres where policy environment to protect girls from child marriage.
child marriages are reported to Police Victim Support
Units and referred for free legal service through other Description
civil society organizations; teen mothers are referred Plan International Zambia implements eight projects
to health centres for medical services, including under the 18+ programme: Yes I Do, Ending Teenage
HIV testing, counselling and contraception. At the
Pregnancy and Child Marriage, Fighting Child Marriage
community level, the programme is raising awareness
in Zambia, Building Skills for Economic Resilience
on the existing legal child protection instruments,
of Girls and Mothers to End Child Marriage, Child
encouraging individuals and communities to claim
Protection and Participation, Law Working for Girls
and use these rights. The programme also includes
and Boys, Promoting Girls’ Education – Keeping Girls
an Attitude and Change Campaign, which addresses
in Schools, Engaging with Law, Policy and Practice at
the social norms that put girls at risk by building the
National and Subregional Level, Adolescent Sexual
capacity of boys and young men to be change agents
Reproductive Health – Youth have the Rights, and
and to improve gender relations.
Zambia Community HIV Prevention. Plan Zambia also
work with empowerment and asset-building for girls
Programme scope
through the Champions of Change Curriculum for Girls
The programme started in 2015 and is implemented
and Boys, which includes a specific module on ending
in Southern, Northern, Western, Eastern and Lusaka
provinces. The target population for the programme child early and forced marriage.
is 7,500 girls aged 15 to 19 years and children aged
10 to 14. By March 2017, the programme had reached Programme scope
approximately 4,300 of the target population; 634 The programme started in 2013 and ends in 2022. The
children had been extricated from child marriages and primary beneficiaries for the 18+ programme are girls
re-entered into the school system; 140 girls at risk and aged 10 to 14 at risk of child, early or forced marriage
survivors of child marriage had been provided with safe and those already married in Eastern, Central and
shelter between 2016-2017; 300 teen mothers had Luapula provinces. By March 2017, approximately
been supported with scholarships to re-enter the formal 100,000 girls had been reached; the aim is to reach
school system; and approximately 4,500 out-of-school 500,000 girls directly and an additional one
children had been enrolled in transit schools. million indirectly.

Partners Partners
UNICEF, USAID, World Vision, Gender-Based Violence Lifeline, Society for Women and AIDS in Zambia
Survivor Support (GBVSS), Pact World, NORAD, (SWAAZ), WLSA, Children in Need Network (CHIN),
Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Access to Child Justice, YWCA, Afya Mzuri, Zambian
Norwegian Church Aid, Zambia Governance National Education Council (ZANEC), Generation Alive,
Foundation, European Union, Churches Health National Legal Aid Clinic for Women, Women Change
Association of Zambia, Government of the Republic of and Panos.
Zambia – United Nations Development Programme on
Gender-Based Violence. Funding
NORAD, SIDA, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Funding Pact/USAID, individual sponsorship.
UNICEF, European Union, USAID, NORAD, DANIDA,
Norwegian Church Aid, Zambia Governance
Foundation, Churches Health Association of Zambia.

72
Young Women’s Christian Association of targeting both unmarried and married girls, 10 to 18
Zambia – YWCA years of age.

Title of programme Partners

End Child Marriage. PLAN International Zambia.

Description Funding
The project uses a safe space model where girls meet NORAD.
in small groups of 25-30 with a trained female mentor
in their community and school. The girls are provided
with life-skills information to increase their ability to
make informed decisions and reduce the risk of getting
Zimbabwe
married early.
In Zimbabwe, 34 per cent of women are married by
Programme scope age 18, and 4 per cent are married by age 15.150 Child
The programme started in August 2016 and will end marriage predominantly affects girls in the poorest
in December 2019. It targets girls in school and out of wealth quintiles in rural areas. Prevalence is highest
school, aged 10 to 19 years old. It includes girls at risk in Mashonaland Central (50 per cent), followed by
of child marriage and girls who are already married. Mashonaland West (42 per cent), Masvingo (39 per
The programme is implemented in Luapula, Eastern cent) and Mashonaland East (36 per cent).151
and Lusaka province and had reached 3,777 girls as of
March 2017. Drivers of child marriage

Partners Child marriage is affected by a complex interaction

UNFPA, ministry of chiefs and traditional affairs, between socio-cultural and religious factors, in
education and health. addition to poverty.152 In some districts, teenage
pregnancies are a risk factor for marriage; however, in
Funding other districts this is not necessarily the case.153 The
UNFPA. Zimbabwe National Family Planning Strategy 2016-
2020 and Family Planning programme stipulate that
Women and Law in Southern Africa – WLSA
health workers can distribute contraception to children
starting at age 16. In some circumstances, providers
Title of programme
can supply contraceptives to even younger persons
Ending Child Marriage 18+.
without parental knowledge or agreement if it seen
Objective as necessary for preventing a pregnancy. Despite
To end child marriage and contribute to social, legal this progressive policy, access to contraception is
and economic empowerment of children. undermined by reluctance among providers and lack of
youth-friendly services.154
Description
The programme advocates for legal reform to The probability of young women marrying is lower
criminalize child marriage. It provides capacity when a girl has at least a secondary education:
development for stakeholders on child protection laws According to a 2014 household survey, the average age
and sensitizes communities and traditional leaders on at marriage is 17.2 years for girls with no education and
the negative effects of child marriage. 23.6 for girls with more than a secondary education.155
Forty-four per cent of women aged 15 to 19 with a
Programme scope primary education had begun childbearing compared to
The programme is being implemented from 2016 19 per cent of girls who had a secondary education.156
to 2019 in Mansa, Chisamba and Vubwi areas. It is

150
Extended analysis of MICS 2014.
151
Extended analysis of MICS 2014.
152
Stakeholder interview.
153
Stakeholder interview.
154
Stakeholder interview.
155
DHS 2015.
156
Secondary analysis of MICS 2014.

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 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Government commitment and Description

policy environment The programme is supporting the National Action
Plan’s objectives by establishing girls’ clubs, a
In January 2016, the Constitutional Court declared the mentorship programme and youth-friendly sexual and
practice of child marriage unconstitutional and set reproductive health services. The girls’ clubs are each
18 as the minimum marriage age for girls and boys. made up of 25 girls that are considered at risk of child
This ruling followed a case brought before Zimbabwe’s marriage, pregnancy or dropping out of school. An
Constitutional Court in January 2015 in which two adult female mentor manages the clubs; she facilitates
former child brides challenged the Marriages Act. 40 sessions over 12 months as outlined in the manual
Other legislation with relevance for child marriage are for the Sista2Sistaclubs. After the first year, the next 12
the Domestic Violence Act of 2007, which includes months are dedicated to follow-up; in total, the girls are
child marriage as a form of domestic violence. mentored for a minimum of two years. The mentorship
programme supports girls in accessing social networks,
The second National Gender Policy (2013–2017) is including the basic education assistance module.
currently operational and includes targets on gender, Mentors also work with parents/guardians to increase
constitutional and legal rights, gender education and girls’ school participation.
training, and reduction of gender-based violence. The
inter-ministerial committee on rape and sexual abuse In addition, UNFPA supports access to adolescent- and
includes a focus on child marriage, and the Ministry of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services
Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development through local public health facilities and community
– with support from UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA – committees, consisting of young people, educators,
has drafted a National Action Plan and Communication local leaders, parents and health staff. The committees
Strategy on Ending Child Marriage. The Action Plan is host community dialogues to raise awareness of the
yet to be adopted and costed. sexual and reproductive health challenges that young
people face, including child marriage.
In July 2015, the Zimbabwean Government launched
the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage. Programme scope
The programme works with adolescent girls, 10 to
Coordination 19 years old, in 46 districts (26 districts in 2013-
2016). The programme has provided more than
According to the National Action Plan, the Ministry of 20,000 vulnerable girls and approximately 760,000
Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development community members (including youth and parents)
has the mandate to call national-level coordination with sexual and reproductive health information.
meetings. Meetings are supposed to be held quarterly,
but are currently called on an ad hoc basis. In the intervention areas, the fertility rate among club
graduates is less than 1 per cent compared to the
The Girls Not Brides network meets quarterly. national average rate of 22 per cent.

Programmes and partners Up-scaling opportunities

The programme is already in the process of scaling up
UNFPA to an additional 20 districts in 2017-2020 with funding
from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
Title of programme and Malaria.
Sista2Sista Girls Empowerment Clubs.
Partners
Objective Family AIDS Caring Trust Mutare, World
To increase the self-efficacy of adolescent girls in Vision, Zimbabwe AIDS Prevention and Support
making responsible decisions about their lives and Organization (ZAPSO), Zimbabwe Community
their health through increased uptake of sexual and Health Intervention Research Behavioural Change
reproductive health services (HIV testing, use of Programme (ZICHIRE), Midlands AIDS Service
contraception), with the goal of reducing rates of Organization (MASO), Matabeleland AIDS Council
teenage pregnancy, school dropout and child marriage. (MAC) and Regai Dzive Shiri.

74
Funding grows, so too will the number of young women wishing
DFID, SIDA, Irish AID. to support vulnerable children in school, multiplying
the returns of their own education to benefit their
Campaign for Female Education communities. This will lead to a greater mass of
Zimbabwe - Camfed marginalized girls benefiting from vital life-skills
sessions delivered by local female role models, who
Title of programme will hopefully be inspired to become Learner Guides
Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Campaign. themselves after school.

Objective Funding
To reduce school drop-out rates attributed to pregnancy DFID Zimbabwe.
and/or early marriage in supported schools using the
Learner Guide approach and to enhance student access, Plan International Zimbabwe
retention and achievement in the secondary cycle, with
special attention to disadvantaged girls. Title of programme
18+.
Description
Rural young women graduates are supported to return Objectives
to their local schools, where they are tasked to provide To contribute to ending child marriage in Zimbabwe
encouragement to marginalized school girls and deliver by empowering boys and girls who are at risk of or
a tailored life-skills and well-being programme to affected by child marriage; mobilizing and raising public
complement the academic curriculum. The initiative awareness in communities to prevent child, early and
supports the introduction of the new Ministry of forced marriage; and building the capacity of duty
Primary and Secondary Education’s guidance and bearers at different levels to establish and strengthen
counselling curriculum and introduction of sexual child protection mechanisms, with the ultimate aim of a
and reproductive health components to life-skills fully functional national child protection system.
programmes. The programme also supports referrals
of children who may need financial assistance; in some Description
instances, referrals are made for cases of abuse. The 18+ programme in Zimbabwe works with girls, the
community and policy makers. At the individual level,
Programme scope the programme focuses on empowerment, particularly
The four-year programme started in 2016 and will end for girls at risk of getting married, survivors of child
in 2021. It works with girls 15 to 19 years old in and out marriage and/or young mothers. At the community
of school. The programme benefits vulnerable children level, it works with parents, mothers and fathers of
(particularly girls) and young women graduates from girls who are at risk of getting married, chiefs, religious
secondary school. It focuses on Camfed’s 28 partner leaders, men, boys, child protection structures and
districts nationwide. The sexual and reproductive influential people. At the policy level, the programme
health component plans to reach at least 56,000 works through advocacy to encourage policy and legal
children in 800 secondary schools. Camfed has trained reform. The programme incorporates research that
1,700 young women in sexual and reproductive health looks at positive deviance to document ways that girls
and over 59,000 children have attended sexual and are able to delay marriage.
reproductive health sessions conducted by Learner
Guides. Awareness campaigns on child marriage have Previous programmes implemented by Plan International
been carried out across partner districts. An evaluation include Creating a Supportive Environment to End
shows that school enrolment and completion rates for Child Marriage in Zimbabwe (April 2015-March 2016)
girls in the intervention sites have increased. and Responsive Approaches to End Child Marriage in
Zimbabwe (November 2014-March 2015).
Up-scaling opportunities
The programme is a sustainable and effective force Programme scope
for change. Moreover, members are improving The three-year programme started in July 2016 and
opportunities for the next generation through their will end in July 2019. It works with girls and boys,
dedicated philanthropy. As the Learner Guide network 10 to 18 years of age who are at risk of marriage,

75
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

unmarried, married or survivors of child marriage, Tag a Life International Trust –TaLI
particularly targeting girls at upper primary school
age, both in and out of school. The intervention areas Title of programme
include Manicaland province, Kwekwe district of Ending Child Marriages in Zimbabwe.
Zhombe Silobela Kwekwe (urban), Torwood, Redcliff
resettlement areas, Matebelaland North in Tsholotsho, Objectives
Mutoko and Epworth. An estimated 2 million people To raise awareness among girls of their right to not
have been reached through various forms of media. marry at a young age and to support communities in
ending child marriage.
Partners
Government ministries, Girls Not Brides Zimbabwe Description
Coalition, embassies, media, universities and colleges, The programme educates girls on leadership, economic
network service providers, churches, traditional leaders empowerment and sexual and reproductive health
and local authorities. and rights, including their right to protection from
exploitation – specifically child marriage, sexual and
Funding gender-based violence and sex trafficking. It also
Canadian and German governments. supports victims of child marriage and sexual and
gender-based violence to report cases and informs
Rozaria Memorial Trust girls of the existing law. In addition, the programme
sensitizes the community through public-awareness
campaigns using the Girls Not Brides consortium and
Rozaria Memorial Trust is a Zimbabwean registered
the media, including social media, radio and television.
non-profit organization that works to advance
It provides basic counselling to children and their
rights and promotes access to education, health
families/guardians, and supports access to health
and entrepreneurship for women and young people,
services, the police and legal services.
especially girls in resource-poor communities.

Tag a Life International Trust coordinates the Girls

Description
Not Brides network in Zimbabwe and works through
Rozaria Memorial Trust works by creating girls’ clubs coalitions such as Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe and
with in- and-out-of-school girls, and girls identified as the Child Coalition to instigate legal reform.
at risk (including married girls, widows and divorcees,
each with specific support needs). It also undertakes Programme scope
research that is currently exploring the mental health This ongoing programme (2016-) is working with
impact of child marriage on adolescents and children 10- to 24-year-old married and unmarried girls, but
in Murewa district and in Busia, Kenya. The research also other groups, such as teachers, boys, men, local
findings will guide the national, regional and global and national leaders and parliamentarians to raise
policies towards ending child marriage in Africa. awareness of the rights of girls and the law and to
address the consequences of child marriages at the
Programme scope individual and societal levels. The programme is
The programme is engaged in global advocacy as currently implemented at the community level in four
well as community-based initiatives in Mashonaland districts of Midlands province.
East and Mashonaland Central provinces. The work is
focused on adolescent girls, but also funds initiatives Partners
that stimulate education, health and entrepreneurship Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community
for women and young people in resource-poor settings. Development, other government departments, civil
society organizations and international NGOs, the
Partners police, courts, parliament and communities
Rozaria Memorial Trust collaborates with a wide range
of Zimbabwean, regional and international partners. In Funding
Zimbabwe it works closely with Roots Africa, Shamva UNICEF and PEPFAR.
Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education as well
as Health and Child Care in Murewa.

76
 © UNFPA Ethiopia

Chapter 6. Additional adolescent girls’ social, health, and economic

assets and reducing their vulnerability. Community
evidence from the conversations were used to encourage discussion of
Population Council the effects of child marriage. Families were offered
school supplies to help overcome the economic
The following is additional evidence provided by the barriers to sending girls to school. Families who
Population Council on its programmes addressing child kept girls unmarried during the two-year enrolment
were awarded a sheep or a goat. An early evaluation
marriage in the region.
of the project found that girls aged 10 to 14 in the
experimental site were 90 per cent less likely to be
In Zambia, the Population Council is implementing
married at the end of the two-year enrolment period
the Adolescent Girls Empowerment. The programme
compared to girls in the control site, and three times
is designed to find the best way to improve girls’
more likely to be in school. Married girls in the project
social, health and economic resources so they can
site were three times more likely to be using family
stay in school longer, avoid early marriage, delay
planning compared to married girls in the control site.
sexual activity and prevent unintended pregnancy,
Berhane Hewan was awarded first prize in a 2013
HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It is
UNFPA contest to identify good practices related
providing 10,000 girls in rural and urban Zambia with to adolescents and youth; judging criteria included
a combination of health and financial education and relevance, innovation, impact and reproducibility.
life skills during weekly girls’ group meetings led by However, the programme evaluation was unable to
young women from the community. The programme determine which component of the intervention had
includes the provision of vouchers entitling girls to the most impact. To generate this evidence, the Council
health services provided by facilities in the community expanded the study in Ethiopia and also launched
and girl-friendly individual savings accounts developed projects using similar approaches in Burkina Faso
in partnership with a Zambian financial institution. and the United Republic of Tanzania. The Council
evaluated the effectiveness of four strategies to delay
The Council’s Berhane Hewan programme in Ethiopia age at marriage among girls:
was one of the first rigorously evaluated projects
with the explicit objective of increasing girls’ age at • Informing communities about the dangers of child
marriage. It took a multifaceted approach, engaging marriage using community meetings and the
girls, their families, and their communities in building engagement of religious leaders.

77
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Supporting girls’ education with cost-effective and communication skills; hygiene and gender issues
efforts, such as providing girls with school supplies or (including gender-based violence); HIV and AIDS
uniforms, making it easier for families to send girls to (including transmission and prevention, voluntary
school. counselling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child
• Providing conditional economic incentives to families transmission and anti-retroviral therapy); reproductive
for keeping girls unmarried. For example, girls received health (including family planning, maternal and child
chickens or a goat if they remained unmarried and in health and nutrition, and sexually transmitted infections);
school for the two-year duration of the project. harmful practices (including early marriage, FGM/C; and
• Combining all these approaches. financial literacy.

The study found that strategies to delay child marriage Between 2008 and 2013, more than 300 female
that are designed to be simple and sustainable work mentors were recruited, trained, and deployed. These
best. In Ethiopia, it was possible to significantly delay mentors gathered, taught and counselled more
child marriage by offering educational support: Girls than 230,000 married girls and young women in
aged 12 to 14 were 94 per cent less likely to be married rural Amhara. An evaluation showed that girls who
at the endline than girls in that age range at the baseline. participated in Meseret Hiwott were more likely than
In communities where girls were offered two chickens for nonparticipants to report that their husbands helped
every year they remained unmarried and in school, girls with domestic work, their husbands accompanied them
aged 15 to 17 were half as likely to be married at endline to the clinic, they used family planning, and that they
than girls in that age range at baseline. In communities received voluntary counselling and testing for HIV.
that were engaged in conversations about the value of Improvements on these measures were even more likely
educating girls and the harms of child marriage, girls aged for girls whose husbands participated in the Council’s
12 to 14 were two thirds less likely to be married at endline Addis Birhan programme for husbands. For example,
than girls in that age range at baseline. In communities girls who participated in Meseret Hiwott were nearly
where all the strategies were employed, girls aged 15 to eight times more likely than nonparticipants to receive
17 were two thirds less likely to be married at endline than voluntary counselling and testing for HIV. If their
girls in that age range at baseline. husbands were Addis Birhan participants, they were
more than 18 times more likely to receive voluntary
In the United Republic of Tanzania, in communities counselling and testing.
where girls were offered goats for remaining unmarried
and in school, girls aged 15 to 17 were two thirds less These results show that programmes that involve
likely to be married than girls of the same age who lived both wives and husbands can result in incremental
in a comparison area where the programme was not improvements to the health and well-being of married girls.
offered. The interventions to keep girls aged 12 to 14
unmarried and in school did not achieve a statistically The Population Council is identifying the elements
significant effect. However, in the case of the full model, of formal schooling that lead to more protective
which included provision of all three interventions, there behaviours, reduce HIV risk, and improve learning
is evidence of a positive effect among girls aged 12 to 14 outcomes among poor young people in Malawi. When
and 15 to 17. good-quality schooling is available, disadvantaged
children stand a better chance of escaping poverty.
The Meseret Hiwott project in Ethiopia used Indeed, in the poorest countries it is likely that
community-based mentoring to reduce married girls’ schooling makes the greatest contribution to children’s
social isolation and build their knowledge and skills futures. But in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest
regarding HIV and reproductive health. Married girls are countries, nearly half of girls marry before age 18, and
often uneducated and lack access to health information young people face high risk of HIV infection. Schools
and legal protection. Married girls are also at higher in rural Malawi have limited resources and inadequate
risk of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. The supplies, extremely high student-teacher ratios, and a
project supported married girls with HIV prevention and dearth of trained teachers.
reproductive health services and trained adult female
mentors who live in rural communities to go house-to- To better understand the effect of school quality on
house to invite married girls and young women aged learning and health, the Council began following
10 to 24 years to participate in the programme. Groups the progress of more than 2,500 in-school and out-
of girls gathered in safe community locations regularly of-school adolescents in the Balaka and Machinga
over a four-month period to learn from their mentors. districts of Malawi in 2007. Multiple rounds of data on
The Meseret Hiwott curriculum included assertiveness young people’s schooling experiences, learning, and

78
health outcomes have been collected. Longitudinal students to start their schooling late, repeat grades
studies of this duration and breadth are unusual, and withdraw temporarily or permanently. Nearly 25
and such comprehensive data on young people from per cent of girls’ dropout is related to pregnancy. Many
a developing country are rare. With each round of girls who leave school face a rapid loss of both literacy
data collection, participants are asked a series of and numeracy skills. Further, because girls leave school
questions about their experiences in school, including during adolescence at much higher rates than boys,
attendance, grade repetition, classroom environment over time a gender reversal in literacy outcomes and
and educational attainment. The participants complete a widening gender gap in numeracy outcomes is
a literacy and numeracy test to assess their learning. observed, both in favour of boys. Girls who can read
In 2010, 2011 and 2013, the data collection expanded and those who can do math are less likely to report
to include testing, with consent from participants and their sexual behaviour inconsistently than those
their parents, for exposure to HIV and herpes. without these skills. Literate girls marry and have
children significantly later than girls who cannot read.
The study’s longitudinal design, encompassing Girls who attend school are significantly less likely to
repeated assessments of the schooling environment engage in premarital sex than their peers who have
and yearly follow-up of a sample of in- and out-of- recently left school.
school adolescents, permits the direct comparison of
outcomes and experiences reported over time. This By Round 5 of data collection (2011), girls who were
information provides a uniquely rich and broad picture currently attending secondary school were about 60
of the relationships between schooling, educational per cent less likely to test positive for herpes than
outcomes and HIV risk among young people in Malawi. girls who had dropped out before completing primary
Council findings will inform policy recommendations school. Girls who perceive themselves to be at risk
and programme designs for school and community- of becoming infected with HIV are more likely to
based interventions that reduce HIV risk and improve marry early than girls who perceive no risk of future
student learning. infection. The Council continues to analyse this
dataset to learn more about the effects of schooling.
Key findings thus far are on target: Progression through It is also pursuing additional funding to implement
school is associated with a lower risk of early premarital interventions to improve girls’ literacy and numeracy
sex and marriage for girls. However, it is common for based on these findings.

79
 CHILD MARRIAGE
A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Annex 1. List of people

interviewed
In total, 38 interviews were conducted of which 18 were Twenty national-level key informants from UNFPA and
formative regional consultations and 20 were with UNICEF country offices:
gender or youth focal points in UNFPA and UNICEF
country offices. • Comoros: UNFPA, Mamadou Boina Maecha;
• D
 emocratic Republic of the Congo: UNFPA,
Country-level contact information for implementing Okende Lokushe;
agencies was provided from the key informant • Eritrea: UNFPA, Yordanos Mehari;
interviewees and other sources, such as the Girls Not • Eritrea: UNICEF, Samuel Isaac;
Brides networks. More than 153 survey invitations were • Ethiopia: UNFPA, Bethlehem Kebede;
sent out via email to government and NGO partners • Madagascar: UNFPA, Andriamanana Tolotra;
in the 12 target countries. The questionnaire was also • Madagascar: UNICEF, Arisoa Raoelison;
distributed directly by key informants to encourage • Malawi: UNFPA, Dorothy Nyasulu;
participation in the survey. The questionnaire was • Malawi: UNICEF, Mirriam Kaluwa;
available as an online survey tool (Survey Monkey), and • Mozambique: UNFPA, Deborah Nandja;
as a Word document in English and in French. • Mozambique: UNICEF, Lilit Umroyan;
• South Sudan: UNFPA, Viola Riak;
Eighteen formative regional consultations with • South Sudan: UNICEF, Jennifer Melton;
key informants from UN offices and regional • Tanzania: UNFPA, Christine Mwanukuzi-Kwayu;
organizations: • Tanzania: UNICEF, Pedro Guerra;
• Uganda: UNFPA, Penninah Tomusange;
• UNICEF: Jonna Karlsson; • Z
 ambia: UNFPA, Sibeso Mululuma and
• UNICEF: Leisa Gibson, Gender Advisor; Precious Zandonda;
• UNFPA: Satvika Chalasani, Technical Specialist, • Zambia: UNICEF, Sylvi Hill; and
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; • Zimbabwe: UNFPA, Tamisayi Chinhengo.
• Population Council: Chabu Kangale, Zambia
Population Council;
• Swedish International Development Cooperation
Agency: Eva Atterlöv Frisell, Regional Team for Sexual
and Reproductive Health and Rights;
• World YWCA: Ritah Muyambo, Head of Programmes;
• Commonwealth Secretariat: Karen Mckenzie;
• African Union Commission: Kenneth Oliko;
• African Union/Rozaria Memorial Trust: Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda;
• Southern African Development Community
Parliamentary Forum: Boemo Mmandu;
• Plan International: Lazarus Mwale;
• Southern Africa Litigation Centre: Nyasha Chingore;
• Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices:
Dr Morissanda Kouyate;
• Save the Children: Doris Mpoumou;
• Girls Not Brides: Francoise Kpeglo Moudouthe;
• Girls Not Brides: Kate Whittington;
• Voluntary Service Overseas: Bongai Mondeta; and
• International Planned Parenthood Federation:
Nathalie Nkoume.

80
Annex 2. Survey response organizations responded. Ethiopia received the most
responses (nine), followed by Malawi and Uganda
overview (seven each). The response received from the Comoros
combines two programmes and is considered to be an
The table below lists the organizations that responded accurate reflection of the fact that child marriage has
to the survey in the 12 countries studied. A total of 59 not yet become a priority for the government.

COUNTRY ORGANIZATIONS

Comoros 1. Commissariat à la Solidarité, à la Protection Sociale et à la Promotion du Genre and the

Fédération Nationale des Associations des Sages Femmes en Union des Comores
(Two programmes combined in one response)

Democratic 1. Aide Rapide aux Victimes des Catastrophes

Republic of the 2. Groupe d’Animateurs pour la Promotion et Échanges Culturels
Congo 3. Réseau des Jeunes Engager contre les Mariages et Grossesses Précoces
4. Cadre de Récupération et d’Encadrement pour l’Épanouissement Intégral des Jeunes

Eritrea 1. Ministry of Health

2. UNICEF
3. National Union of Eritrean Women
4. National Union of Eritrean Youth & Students

Ethiopia 1. Ministry of Women and Children’ Affairs

2. Afar Bureau for Women and Children’s Affairs
3. Amhara Bureau of Women and Children’s Affairs
4. Tigray Bureau of Women and Children’s Affairs
5. UNFPA
6. Afar Pastoralist Development Association
7. Mujejeguwa-Locka Women Development Association
8. Norwegian Church Aid
9. World Vision Ethiopia

Madagascar 1. UNFPA – Adolescent health

2. UNFPA – Gender-based violence
3. UNICEF

Malawi 1. UNFPA – Safeguard Young People

2. UNFPA – Gender equality and women
3. ActionAid Malawi
4. Centre for Social Concern and Development
5. Girls Empowerment Network
6. Plan International Malawi
7. Ujamaa Pamodzi Africa

Mozambique 1. UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCO (Joint)

2. Civil Society Forum for Child Rights
3. Girl Move Foundation
4. Women and Law in Southern Africa
5. Plan International Mozambique

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A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

COUNTRY ORGANIZATIONS

South Sudan 1. UNFPA – Adolescent girls

2. UNFPA – Gender-based violence
3. UNICEF
4. Confident Children out of Conflict
5. Plan International South Sudan

Tanzania 1. Camfed Tanzania

2. Centre Against Gender-based Violence
3. Children’s Dignity Forum
4. Forum for African Women Educationalists Tanzania
5. Plan International Tanzania

Uganda 1. UNFPA
2. BRAC Uganda
3. Joy for Children Uganda
4. Straight Talk Foundation
5. The REACH Programme
6. White Ribbon Alliance
7. World Vision Uganda

Zambia 1. UNFPA
2. UNICEF
3. Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia
4. Plan International Zambia
5. Women and Law in Southern Africa
6. Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia

Zimbabwe 1. UNFPA
2. Camfed
3. Plan International Zimbabwe
4. Rozaria Memorial Trust
5. Tag a Life International Trust

© UN Foundation GirlUp

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© Ethiopia
 © 2017

CHILD MARRIAGE A MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES AND PARTNERS IN TWELVE COUNTRIES IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

United Nations Population Fund, East and Southern Africa Regional Office
9 Simba Road, PO Box 2980, Sunninghill, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 603 5300
Website: http://esaro.unfpa.org

UNICEF Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa

P.O. Box 44145, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 762 2977
Website: www.unicef.org/esaro