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Photo: UNFPA/Zambia/Zandonda

Photo: UNFPA/Zambia/Zandonda. Zambia Working Together to Place Child Marriage on the African Development Agenda Professor Nkandu Luo Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs 13 June 2013. Child Marriage.

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Photo: UNFPA/Zambia/Zandonda

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  1. Photo: UNFPA/Zambia/Zandonda Zambia Working Together to Place Child Marriage on the African Development Agenda Professor Nkandu Luo Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs 13 June 2013

  2. Child Marriage • A gross violation of human rights that robs millions of girls of their childhood and futures, while undermining development efforts • Affects poorest, least educated girls and those living in rural areas • 1 out of 3 girls in developing countries (excluding China) were married as children (67 million girls in 2010). • If present trends continue, 142 million girls will be married by their 18th birthday in this decade (by 2020).

  3. Life of a Child Bride • Limited education attainment, no schooling options, limited future prospects • Violent and abrupt initiation into sexual relations • Large age gaps with husbands • Increased risk of domestic violence • Intense pressure to become pregnant • High risk of maternal death/disabilities • Social isolation and restricted social mobility • Little access to modern media (TV, radio, newspapers)

  4. A Worldwide Phenomenon

  5. Child Marriage in Zambia • Defined as marriage of a child younger than 18 years - in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention on the Right of the Child and with Zambian legislation • 2 out of 5 girls in Zambia were married before their 18th birthday in 2007 representing 42% of girls. • Affects poorest, least educated girls and those living in rural areas 5

  6. Child Marriage in Zambia Cont… • 65% of girls with no education and 58% with primary education are married by age 18; compared to only 17% of girls with secondary education or higher. • Girls from the poorest 20% of the households are 5 times more likely to be married before age 18 than girls from the richest 20% of the households • Once married, only 28.1% of them use contraception in spite of their needs to space their childbearing time. • Prevalence at provincial level are highest in Eastern Province (60%), Luapula Province (50%), and Northern Province (48%) 6

  7. Country Interventions Photo: UNFPA/HQ 7

  8. Awareness raising: Zambia launched a national campaign to end child marriage in April 2013 – engaging the traditional leaders to redress the causes and harmful consequences of child marriage • National legislation: Advocacy for statutory and customary law to be aligned has resulted in the draft national constitution raising minimum age of marriage to 21 years • Investment in data analysis for advocacy and targeted efforts: The 2007 ZDHS sub-analysis has helped to identify ‘hot spots’ of vulnerability for girls to implement targeted programmes. A detailed situation analysis is underway • Comprehensive, integrated programmes : Ministry of Chiefs has engaged cross-cutting stakeholders and cooperating partners in planning for national interventions. A national strategy on child marriage is underway Photo: UNICEF/Zambia/Nalungwe The dummies depicting child marriage were burnt to symbolize action against child marriage during the national launch 8

  9. National Partnerships

  10. Interventions Worth Investment at Sub-Regional Level • Empower girls by building their skills and assets: multi-sectoral approaches that provide life skills training, opportunities for literacy/numeracy, safe spaces for social support, and access to information and health services • Improve girls’ access to quality formal education: establish girl-friendly schools, train up and build a cadre of qualified teachers, improve safety/security for girls, experiment with financial incentives • Mobilize communities to transform detrimental social norms: work with parents, elders, religious leaders to see benefits of delayed marriage • Address the economic drivers of child marriage: consider incentive-based programmes to keep girls in schools, build girls’ financial/livelihood skills, etc. to reduce pressures to marry girls young • Specifically reach married girls: target married girls with MH/FP services, promote access to non-formal education and peer support

  11. Photo: UNICEF/Zambia/Inzy Interventions Worth Investment at Sub-Regional Level • Invest in data analysis for advocacy and targeted efforts: Use disaggregated data to identify ‘hot spots’ of vulnerability for girls to implement targeted programmes • Promote girls’ human rights and girls’ education especially the transition from primary to secondary levels • Advocate for laws (official and customary) to be aligned with international rights instruments, raise the minimum age of marriage as needed • Raise awareness of the causes and harmful consequences of child marriage • Promote comprehensive, integrated programmes to end child marriage and mitigate the impact on married girls 11

  12. THANK YOU

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