Traditional and religious leaders in Africa can be a “determining factor” in the growing movement to end child marriage with the right interventions and approaches according to a new report of existing research on the subject. The study by the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa shows that most research over the past ten years identifies religion and cultural tradition as having a role in not just the persistence but also the elimination of child marriage on the continent. No single religion alone is associated with the practice, the study affirms.
A core objective of the AU Campaign is to strengthen the evidence base needed to design and implement effective policies and programs for reducing programs for reducing child marriage. “Over the past ten years, there has been extensive research concerning the effects of traditional and religious practices of child marriage on Africa’s socio-economic development”, noted Ambassador Olawale Maiyegun, AUC Director of Social Affairs. “This report documents a wealth of information on past efforts so that we can move forward and work from a strong foundation. Involving religious and traditional leaders will be one of our key instruments for success,” he added.
The 87-page report, entitled The Effects of Traditional and Religious Practices of Child Marriage on Africa’s Political and Economic Development describes several programs that offer “great hope for the future.” These include the Faith Effect program in Ethiopia and Nigeria and a recent campaign in Zambia spearheaded by the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.
Successful programs to end child marriage involve parents, teachers and other local stakeholders as well as broader government action to reduce poverty, promote gender equality and improve girls’ economic prospects. The survey found that theologians, religious teachers and university-based religious scholars can also be enlisted to articulate a faith-based challenge to child marriage and other practices, harmful to children.
In addition to providing a detailed history of research from 2006-2015, toolkits and reports from African NGOs and UN agencies, the study ends with several important conclusions, including:
Religious communities and traditional leaders are uniquely positioned to prevent and respond to the call to end child marriage;
A strong consensus exists across religious traditions about the dignity of every child and the need to protect children from different forms of violence, the spread of disease and the devastating efforts of war, conflict and poverty;
With about 1 billion people in Africa belonging to religious communities, their leaders’ potential for action is substantial. From the smallest village to the largest city, through districts and provinces, to national and international levels, religious communities offer large networks for taking action in the care and protection of children and the safeguarding of their rights.
The report is the first part of a larger effort that will include field visits and interviews by the AU Special Rapporteur on Ending Child Marriage. The Study can be downloaded on the AU WEBSITE.
About the AU Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa
The campaign was launched at the continental level in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 29 May 2014, during the Conference of Ministers of Social Development. It aims at ending child marriage by: (i) supporting legal and policy actions in the protection and promotion of human rights, (ii) mobilizing continental awareness of the negative socio-economic impact of child marriage, (iii) building social movement and social mobilization at the grassroots and national levels; and (iv) increasing the capacity of non-state actors to undertake evidence based policy advocacy including the role of youth leadership through new media technology, monitoring and evaluation among others.
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