Nearly a fortnightago, the African Union launched its first-ever ‘African Girl’s Summit on Ending Child marriage’ which was held in Lusaka, Zambia. The objective of the summit was to examine the abhorrent impact of child marriage on the continent. Cultural norms were empathised as the most embracing factor for child marriages, virtually in all African countries. It is estimated that, in Africa, about 14 million under-age girls are married off on the continent each year. Believe it or not, almost all the victims are married off by their parents, often against laws that are ineffectively enforced. Undoubtedly, child marriage is a human rights violation that deprives girls of their rights to health, education, security, and to choose if, when and whom to marry.

According to UNICEF’s 2014 statistics on child marriage, "one third of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18 and one in nine are married before the age of 15. Countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage are concentrated in Western and Sub-Saharan Africa. These statistics also revealed that in 2012, 70 million women aged 20 to 24 around the world had been married before the age of 18. If this present trend continues, 150 million girls will be married before their 18th birthday over the next decade. That’s an average of 15 million girls each year, 39 000 per day, 1625 per hour”. These figures are sobering indeed.

As a result, the participants resolved to change long-established cultural norms as one of the main causes of child marriage. Surprisingly enough, wherever this evil practice is practiced they have laws that punish it, but because, in some cases, cultural practices or beliefs are perpetuated to the extent that they seem superseding the law. No matter the justification whatsoever, it is a harmful practice which severely affects the rights of a child. Findings have, in fact, revealed that ‘child brides’ across Africa, are married before turning 18 years of age, with many already wed when they are younger than 15. According to the international coalition ‘Girls Not Brides’, girls who marry before 18 are also more vulnerable to HIV, domestic violence and malnutrition; and without forgetting also being prone to divorce. Two questions are worth considering in this narrative: What triggers this phenomenon? How can it be addressed?

While it is believed, generally, that cultural norms as the underlying cause of child marriage, there are other causes that are inextricably linked to cultural lifestyle. First, illiteracy of parents and a child who is forced to marry. The problem is that neither the parent nor the child is able to foresee the negative consequences of that kind of marriage. The mere fact that some girls lack formal education, they are very susceptible to child marriage. In most instances they marry for the sake of making ends meet. Second, tradition in most African countries, child marriage is a tradition that has been in place since time immemorial. Consequently, if young girls or their families were to go against this custom, it could be regarded as an act against the taboo. Third, poverty-stricken families oftentimes give away their young daughters for a bride price expecting to increase their income or reduce family poverty. In Rwanda, for example, there’s a tendency of some parents lying about their daughter’s age in order to meet marriageable age, of course, required by law. At some point, girls also elope because of helplessness and desperation of their families. Fourth, insufficient or lax law enforcers; child marriage can be given an impetus when the relevant authorities aren’t doing enough to ensure zero tolerance to those who influence children to marry.

In responding to the preceding challenges, the following mechanisms can possibly lead to the desirable achievement. For Rwanda, and the EAC region at large, there is a need to raise awareness intended to water down the cultural or traditional norms and practices that embolden child marriage, and show likely doleful consequences.

Besides, governments should support programmes aimed at promoting and empowering girls’ education as a positive alternative to child marriage. Also, support should be provided to local NGOs whose activities are pertinent to girls’ education. Indeed, education is the epitome of reducing child marriage. Needless to say, it will act as a gateway to a bright future.

Most importantly, to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement so as to effectively deal with those who induce children into child marriage. Additionally, since the government bears the primary responsibility in the matter at hand, it must ensure the effective implementation of existing legal and policy framework for preventing child marriage.

UNIFEF, likewise, as the guardian of the UN Convention on the Right of the Child, should actively promote systems strengthening as a means to achieve more effective and efficient child protection responses. In particular, it should redouble its efforts in terms of technical and financial support to activities pursuant to advocacy and protection of rights of children. Equally, it must galvanise, in all UN member states, action against child marriage. 

 Fred K. NKUSI, lecturer and international law expert