AFI Changemakers - African Youth Voices on Child Marriage by Ariel Foundation International / Ariana-Leilani Children's Foundation

ABIGAIL OPPONG

CHILD MARRIAGE IN AFRICA – VOICES OF AFRICAN YOUTH

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Author: Abigail Oppong Edited by Dr. Ariel Rosita King and Dr. Ayomide Sina-Odunsi

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CONTENT

Introducing AFI Youth Ambassador

Message from AFI Youth Ambassador

Forward - Legal age of Child Marriage

United Nations and Child Marriage

Potential risks and protection in Africa

Opinions of African Youth

References

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MS ABIGAIL OPPONG AFI YOUTH AMBASSADOR

Ms. Abigail Oppong is an Ariel Foundation International (AFI) Youth Ambassador. She has also worked with the Young Africa Women in Leadership (YAWL), Ghana as the General Secretary helping to recruit and help empower more women in Africa and the world at large. As the Director of communication and Development at Tieme Ndo, where she helps farmers with their mode of communication that helps them develop their farms. Alongside this, she has

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also volunteered for several NGOs that seeks to empower women, children and youth. Abigail Oppong, Ariel Foundation International Youth Ambassador for Africa is a humanitarian who passionately loves to join hands with NGOs in Africa to help save more life. Ms. Oppong believes what she learns will improve the work she does. Challenges of life as a young African lady, growing up in the continent of Africa has given her a much- presented experience to give back to community. She is skilled in Information Technology, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Humanitarian, leadership and a whole lot of skills that enables her to help community. Ms. Oppong is pursuing her bachelor’s degree majoring in Management Information Studies from Ashesi University, Ghana, class of 2021.

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MESSAGE FROM AFI YOUTH AMBASSADOR ABIGAIL OPPONG

As the Ariel Foundation International Ambassador of Africa, I have witnessed some cases of child marriage in my community. Join me as I discuss with other young people on the situation in their respective countries. Marriage is a great life transformation. And hence needs to be a carefully understood commitment between the two parties. I would personally not encourage any child under age to marry as they have so many opportunities to develop upon themselves for marriage at the right time. Anytime child marriage is mentioned in Africa, it usually points to the girl-child. It is only in rare cases where parents will force their boy child to marry an old woman. Hence the whole issue of Child marriage is seen as a bad omen in Africa denying the rights of freedom by the victims.

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Foreword According to UNICEF, Child Marriage is defined as a formal marriage or informal union before age 18, and is a reality for both boys and girls, although girls are disproportionately the most affected. In this age and time, child marriage is still widespread and leads to a lifetime of disadvantage and deprivation for the affected persons. This can be in form of economic, mental, physical and emotional problems. Girls who are married before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and are more likely to experience domestic violence from their spouses. Young girls are more likely to die due to pregnancy and childbirth complications and their infants also more likely to be stillborn or die in their first month of life. A lot has been done to reduce the rates of child marriage worldwide, but more can be done. A wide and more sustainable campaign aligned with the SDGs needs to be done by all parts of the society. According to statistics from UNICEF, more than 150 million additional girls will marry before their 18th birthday by 2030. Africa is one of the most affected continents where child marriage is sadly still very common. This may be due to religious and cultural reasons. This report is an interview with youths from different African countries who air their thoughts and views about child marriage in their respective countries.

Ayomide Sina-Odunsi M.D AFI Deputy-Director

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THE UNITED NATIONS AND CHILD MARRIAGE The UN plays a vital role in issues that affects individuals in societies across the world. Paying more attention to the news and research, a lot has been discovered about how the UN plays a major role and analyzes these issues across the world especially in the African continent which records a high rate of child marriages according to research. According to (UNICEF data, 2018) on a thorough research made on Child marriage;; it is a violation of human rights, which is too common now. According to the report, marriage before 18 years is an abuse and a violation of the right of the individual. But the question is, do people under 18 usually marry willingly or unwillingly? After the UN which serves as a defense mechanism for all critically dived into this matter, the UN recorded a higher percentage of marriage of children under 18 years who got into their marriages unwillingly. The UN also states that across the globe, levels of child marriage are highest in sub-Saharan Africa. (UNICEF Data, 2018).

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The office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the United Nations stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance and hence the rights of all including children are to be respected (OHCHR,2000). Notwithstanding the office of the UN Women who strongly uphold to the promotion of respect for the rights of women highly stand to this issue. The UN has said it all. Africa being the continent with the highest records of child marriage makes it more interesting to know and learn more about child marriage. Now let’s hear from Africa.

LEGAL AGE OF CHILD MARRIAGE The legal age for marriage in most countries in Africa is 18 years old for both male and female. Child marriage is still common, but it is mostly practiced by some traditional groups in Africa. Such traditional marriages have no legal implications and entails a formal promise and a gift to the girl's parents which must be returned if the engagement is broken.

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In some religions, there is no age limit for marriage as they believe a girl is ready for marriage when she starts seeing her period every month. In customs in some African countries, parents choose their daughter’s husband and decide if their daughter will to undergo female genital mutilation, which is still highly prevalent in some rural African communities. Also, in some parts of Africa, Women and girls who have been raped are often forced to marry their rapists to uphold family honor, and rapists can avoid punishment if they marry their victim. A woman who refuses such a marriage may face severe consequences from her own family and clan as they sometimes want to escape shame.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND PROTECTIONS IN AFRICA There is a whole lot of negative effects associated with early child marriage especially to the girl child. A 12-year-old girl who is forced to marry a 60-year-old man will find it difficult to respond sexually as a wife since she is not physically developed as fully-grown

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woman. Various health implications which results to death are easily exposed to these girls. There have been some cases of trauma and psychological problems as a side effect too. Most women find it difficult to flee because they are not self- empowered to fight for their rights. Others continue to endure the pains and bad treatments from their husbands because they see these men as their source of living. Agencies that have taken actions on these in Africa include government security forces, law enforcement and peacekeepers. There are NGOs present in various countries also trying to end these acts. But I believe that, infringing on the rights of an individual is a crime hence actions need to be taken to expose these rural girls to know and stand for their rights.

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OPINIONS FROM FELLOW YOUNG PEOPLE I had the opportunity to relate with young people from different African countries about their thoughts and opinions about child marriage. During these discussions I got to learn about the prevalence of child marriage in various communities and from those who has had a firsthand experience. The following are the young people who have lent their voice towards ending childing marriage in Africa.

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Name: Hairiya Country: Ghana Age: 27 Experienced Child Marriage

Some parents force their children into marriage as a means of economic elevation. Parents feel when their daughters marry rich or prominent men, they (the parents) will also benefit from the riches. Some parents often want an easy way out, instead of taking their responsibilities, they indirectly transfer those responsibilities to these men by forcing their girls into marriage. I am a victim, although I married a man I thought I loved, I was forced into marrying him because of serious pressure from home. Some girls allow themselves to be forced into marriage just to save themselves from pressure and to please their parents. Girls who seem to resist forced marriages are threatened of being disowned by parents. So they end up giving in. In my case for instance, I kept rejecting men my dad was

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pushing me to, at some point I was like an enemy to my dad because he felt I was embarrassing him because of his position in the society. He started maltreating me to an extent I had to ask my mum if he was my real dad. A question I wished I never asked because it broke her heart. I got several admissions to go to tertiary school, but he refused and there was no one to see me through. I finally gave in to a guy I thought could support me, but it was unfortunate. In the first year of the marriage I had a daughter, I got divorced before the third year of marriage. I experienced physical abuse. He always beats me up at the slightest mistake, he once told me my dad pushed me to marry him because he (my dad) couldn’t take care of me. If I were still in that marriage, I wouldn’t have been who I am today because he doesn’t believe in my abilities, he always denied me of opportunities, he claimed I wouldn’t respect him if I had a source of income. I tried severally to leave but my parents kept pushing me stay but against all odds, I took the decision and walked away and that was it. With this, there is an Islamic belief that, once your daughter starts menstruating, you should think of marrying her off, especially when she seems to be sexually active. The reasons are that, fornication is a sin and once she starts having sex without marriage, she is committing a sin and u as a parent as well. So some Muslim parents force their children to marry just to prevent themselves from these sins. And again, to avoid pregnancies out of wedlock.

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Name: Rebecca Agili Country: Nigeria Age: 19

I know that some tribes in Nigeria give their children in marriage immediately they are born (as in the child is betrothed to the man) and then wait a while for them to grow up. Like after (Junior High School) JHS or SHS (Senior High School) and the then get married. This contributes to the increasing number of divorces in the Muslim communities of recent. Most Muslim men do not value, appreciate or respect women because of some of the teachings of Islam. The teachers are 100% right but the practices of these teachings are not done properly by some Muslims. Because even Islam says you should never marry or force a person to marry someone he or she doesn’t love.

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Even if education is given, some of them won’t stop, we only need to empower young girls to be able to say no and mean it. They must be assertive and learn to be diplomatic as well. In my case for instance, as at the time my marriage took place, I wasn’t exposed to empowerment, but now, even my dad is scared to talk to me in some way, he respects me so much and seems to be regretting for making me marry at that time. It is necessary to make the rights of women known but it is very important to let women avoid settling for less. Let them realize their own worth and rights before anyone takes advantage of them. Those who have no education at all won’t seek for divorce even if it is not working. They feel it is normal to suffer in marriage. These victims often look unkempt, with stress making them look aged, yet with no source of livelihood. Again, society makes it very difficult for a woman to divorce, there is this perception that it is only a bad woman who is being divorced, and she may likely not get any man to marry her again. Because of that, many women or girls just endure their marriages. Some end up with mental disorders in some cases, because she is forced to stay in a marriage that adds no value to her life, and doesn’t give her any peace of mind.

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Name: Crispus Kamau Country: Kenya Age: 21

Child marriage is more in the remote areas. But NGOs have been trying to cap it. Especially in the nomadic communities where even female circumcision is still done. It’s wrong and I feel sad about it, but I am happy some organizations have helped stop the long running tradition. (Child marriage is ) not so bad of late since there is more awareness and schools in the region, but it’s basically the old fashion way of booking a girl when she is young then when she is old enough the parents get dowry which I think has been the driver due to such parent’s economic conditions.

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Name: Deborah Libehela Kabi Country: Lesotho Age: 19

In Lesotho there are not many reported cases of child marriage. However, it may still occur in very rural places where people are still clinging to the past. It is such a taboo in this country if a much older person is preying on a child so if they do marry them, then it is done in secrecy. People above the age of 18 (legal age) do marry a lot sometimes, but I cannot refer to it as child marriage because they have reached the legal age. So even though it’s something that exists, I can say it’s rare. And yes, I feel very strongly against child marriage. The princess of Lesotho has started working on eradicating it completely through awareness campaigns etc.

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Name: Najart Antiku Country: Ghana Age: 20

I believe it’s real. It happens especially in very rural areas. I haven't seen a clear example myself. But, I hear stories of it in our villages. Personally, I don't support it because it destroys the futures of a lot of brilliant children. But the main cause of this is poverty. Ignorance is another factor. Most parents push their children into it because they can't take care of them. Nowhere in the Quran does it agree to a forceful marriage. If any religion forces that on a human being, then it’s not worthy to be a religion. What the Quran states about marriage is that we shouldn’t over grow old without marrying. For example. In my 40s, I will still be single giving a lot of excuses. That isn't welcomed. But, even at that....it doesn't state that you should be given out. Because mostly those who stay old commit fornication which is highly unacceptable.

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Name: Arinze Christopher Country: Nigeria Age: 21 Child marriage is a clog in the wheel of progress. It affects mostly the female gender. This has a lot of ripple effect. Firstly, the education of the child is affected, and such person can hardly further their education. When their education is affected, poverty is on the increase. Because the people that could have gotten better education for a good future are deprived of it. On a second note, it could lead to severe health challenges. When the child takes in(pregnant) they may not be fully able to carry the child. Most of my views are based on girl child marriage. Because I think the male child is less affected. So, the other point is about trauma. It could be traumatic for this child because they are being burdened with responsibilities that should have come much later in life. this makes them socially exclusive at a point.

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Name: Judith Demberemba, 18 Country: Zimbabwe

Sadly, it is still happening in Zimbabwe. I was in the rural areas and heard stories about young girls who are married. It seems when a girl comes home late they are asked to go back where they are coming from and that's it. For some when they are late home they do not bother going back home. That’s what I heard. Personally I feel it's not a good idea. Marriage should be for people who are mature, and I think young people in rural areas need exposure. Financial stability is a good thing.

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Name: Wilson Savi, 21 Country: Rwanda

I don’t think I have seen many of such cases in my country Rwanda, but it still exists in some parts. In Rwanda, 21 years is the legal age to marry. But I have seen a couple of them that happen below that age because of an incident especially pregnancy. Two young people can decide to stay together as married people when they find out they are going to be a father and a mother soon. But this usually leads to future destructions on the girl side since the guy would want to marry another woman as wife causing an unbearable home for them. This is a bad act since marriage is for mature people who are ready to settle down and plan their lives together. Overall, the practice of child marriage appears.

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Name: Yuushac Abdullah, 24 Country: Somalia

Nearly half of Somali girls are married by the time they turn 18. In addition, al-Shabaab has promoted child marriage as part of the effort to impose its harsh version of Sharia. Human Rights Watch have reported an organized practice whereby al-Shabaab preaches marriage with fighters to girls still in school. There have also been reports of girls abducted and forced into marriage. The practice currently consists of a formal agreement between the parents of the girl, who may be a few days (old) -15 years old, and the boy, who may be 5-20 years old. The engagement has no legal implications and entails a formal promise and a gift to the girl's parents which must be returned if the engagement is broken. The child might have belonged to a wealthy family or have a mother of outstanding beauty or character. The child might also have been taken by force by members of a warring tribe.

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Name: Georgina Keelson, 20 Country: Ghana

Child marriage is normally done to the young girls who are not of age, it can be both girls and boys. This is when a young girl is given to an older boy or man. Many young girls are forced to marry at their tender age, which is against their wishes, they are forced to leave their homes to settle with their husbands. They have children whiles still physically immature, they are psychologically unprepared and unequipped to become mothers, which means they tend to have more health problems during pregnancy and childbirth, due to inadequate heath care, their babies have a reduced chance of survival. Motherhood becomes difficult for them, since they are not of age to become mothers. Their right is deprived;; that is, they don't get chance to learn, grow and fully realize their potential. Child marriage is a bad practice which should be stopped in Ghana.

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Name: Joshua Oppong, 21 Country: Ghana

It is so disheartening to see how young girls are forced to marry men twice or thrice their age. Marriage is a nice union between two people who have agreed to settle on and move together in life. But in Africa especially my village, some parents force their children into it, causing a whole lot of effects on the girl. It is always the girl that’s being forced and not boys.

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Name: Nkosinathi Mzembe, 19 Country: Malawi

I think it's not proper. Yeah, it does happen in Malawi. But mostly in the rural parts of the country where people still go by old tradition. It disturbs their future of a better life in the long run. I haven't witnessed an incident where an early married child is now living a successful life.

Name: Angela Munyao, 20 Country: Kenya

Early child marriage: not very rampant, but it’s still existent in some communities like the Maasai. It’s illegal and practiced only in areas far away from urban centers practiced secretly, some people are caught, and some children escape to rescue centers. There are rescue centers in Kenya, with children who escaped early marriages.

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Name: Lwazilwenkosi Moofu, 19 Country: Zimbabwe

Child marriage, despite efforts by various stakeholders, remain a pertinent issue in the country, especially in rural areas where ignorance about human rights and lack of education prevails. I cannot quantify the amount of child marriages in Zimbabwe as l have not done that research, but it remains an issue in the country. A girl as young as 10 years can get married to a 70+ old man. Some causes include poverty, lack of education, long rooted old beliefs. As for me, l feel child marriage should be done with! Young children do not know their rights yet. They also have no idea what their parents are doing. So when they come of age, they find themselves entangled in a loveless marriage, which is not really a marriage, but a family alliance/ trade deal. So l feel people should shun away from doing this and allow kids to grow in a respectful & free environment;; Everyone has a right to choose who he/she loves at the right time. Lovers should not be imposed on girls! Everyone's rights should be respected regardless of their gender.

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Name: Matthew Ndekudugu, 22 Country: Ghana

Marriage is sweet when the people involved really understand what they’ve signed up for. Early marriages are usually not in the interest of the child, especially the female child. But due to circumstances beyond their control. Some of these ladies are been given away as if they were “sheep handed over to the shepherd“, their parents gave nasty reasons such as “they’re not schooling and are just sitting in the house eating and doing nothing” others said “let her go and marry so I could get cows, instead her being in this house doing nothing”, that’s from some parents in some parts of Ghana. If for nothing at all, pushing children to go into what they do not know they’re going into and what they’re going to do there, is nothing but child abuse which seems to now be a norm and unruly hidden in the arms of “culture”.

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Name: Gracia Batusua Biduaya, 19 Country: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

In the Democratic Republic of Congo the movement of child marriage has decreased a little bit. It was so intense in the past 10 years especially in rural areas. This was due to many factors;; Religion, tribe, poverty, beliefs, irresponsibility. Some parents used to force their little girls to go into marriage, so they can help the family survive. For some little girls, they feel they are tired of living in their parent's house because of poverty. They get into relationships to survive and get the kind of life that they want. Once they become pregnant the parents don't have a choice but to accept that relationship and let the girl get married in the case that the guy comes to ask for her hand. Up till now, there are still some of these practices. However, there are laws put in place to eradicate this system and it is working.

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REFERENCES Child marriage - UNICEF DATA. (March 2018). https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/

Retrieved

from

Child marriage. May,2018. Retrieved from https://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage OHCHR | Convention on the Rights of the Child. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/

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