It is hard to imagine a child at the age of eight getting married in the United States, let alone give birth at ages as young as 12 or 13. However, for countries such as those in Africa, this proves to be the norm. And, it is wrong. To put into perspective, in the United States, we consider any sex trafficked victim under the age of 18 unable to “consent,” or choose to be involved; so similarly, how could an 8-year-old consent to a marriage?
UN Women—an organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women—has participated and actively contributed to the First African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage this week from November 24-27th. It sought to mobilize African traditional and political leaders to work towards ending and preventing child marriage. It also advocated towards setting and enforcing laws requiring the minimum age of marriage to be 18, and to punish perpetrators in violation. Additionally, it sought assistance from major stakeholders, donors, and the media in contributing towards prevention efforts.
The host country, Zambia, has worked towards promoting this cause in addition to improving and creating policies to fight the continuous issue of violence against women and girls—which includes child marriage and human trafficking.
Moreover, in Africa, education for women is rare. Education is needed in order to help provide women with economic independence, the ability to support themselves, and the knowledge about how to speak for themselves, among other benefits needed to help decrease such issues.
Please take a moment to click and watch the following YouTube link of the girls affected by this gender-based violence, and those who are speaking out against the issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthGlZe-vyo
