African communities need to be educated on the danger of the practice Child Marriage, says the Chief Whip of the Fifth Children Parliament, Norman Ndeuyeeka.
He was part of the commemoration of the Day of African Child themed Accelerating Our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage in Africa, last week in Groot Aub in the Windhoek Rural constituency. Child marriage, which is is a marriage involving children younger than 18 years, is a gross human right violation against children. “This practice which mostly affects girls is still prevalent in Africa and Namibia is no exception,” said Ndeuyeeka. He added that the causes are complex and interrelated and they include social, cultural, religious and economic factors influencing norms, values and behaviour at individual, community and society levels. “To stop this practice we need to educate our communities on the dangers of this practice. And we need to increase in investments that provide quality services to girls and expand the opportunities for their future,” said Ndeuyeeka.
The consequences of child marriages are devastating and they include, dropping out of school, increased poverty and gender inequality in whole communities and countries where such practices are prevalent. “Medical experts have gathered strong evidence pointing to the detrimental effects of early marriages on the girl child. These include a host of pregnancy related complications which affect the expecting mother and the unborn child,” explained Ndeuyeeka.
He further said in most case young women are coerced into marriages and when married, these girls stop thinking about themselves and only think about their husbands and their in-laws. “The saddest thing about this practice is girls lose their childhood. Many of them grow up not knowing what adolescence is, and every child is entitled to enjoy or experience adolescence. Once married, a girl can no longer socialise with peers. She is immediately plunged into taking care of her in-laws.
To accelerate progress to end child marriage requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders. “Eliminating child marriage is a daunting challenge but not insurmountable. We can eliminate this social ill from our society with a stronger effort, partnership and commitment,” conclude Ndeuyeeka.