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

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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%)

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Country Interventions

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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

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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

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• 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