Upload
taji
View
52
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Photo: UNFPA/Zambia/Zandonda
ZambiaWorking Together
to Place Child Marriage on the
African Development
Agenda
Professor Nkandu LuoMinister of Chiefs and Traditional
Affairs
13 June 2013
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).
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)
A Worldwide Phenomenon
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
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
Country Interventions
7
Photo: UNFPA/HQ
• 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
8
The dummies depicting child marriage were burnt
to symbolize action against child marriage
during the national launch
Photo: UNICEF/Zambia/Nalungwe
National Partnerships
• 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
Interventions Worth Investment at Sub-Regional Level
Interventions Worth Investment at Sub-Regional Level
11
• 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
Photo: UNICEF/Zambia/Inzy
THANK YOU