On June 16 every year, Member States of the African Union (AU), and its Partners commemorate the Day of the African Child (DAC). This occasion is firstly a commemoration to recall the 1976 uprising in Soweto, when a protest by school children in South Africa against apartheid–inspired education resulted in the public killing of these unarmed young protesters by police officials.
The DAC further presents an opportunity to focus on the work of all actors committed to the rights of children on the continent and to consolidate efforts in addressing the obstacles to realising these rights. The DAC also provides an occasion for Governments, International Institutions and Communities to renew on-going commitments towards improving the plight of children by organising activities that include them.
Despite international agreements and national laws, marriage of girls under 18 years of age is common worldwide and affects millions. According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 140 million girls will become child brides, between 2011 and 2020. Africa has the second highest rates of child marriage in the world after South Asia. West and Central Africa in particular follow closely on the heels of South Asia with two out of five (41%) girls marrying before 18 years.
Dangers of Child Marriage
Child marriage is a human rights violation that prevents girls from obtaining an education, enjoying optimal health, bonding with others their own age, maturing, and ultimately choosing their own life partners. It is a complex issue that is driven by a number of factors in different societies and has many effects on the health of girls: increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, malaria, death during childbirth, as well as obstetric fistulas. Girls are also at increased risk for premature birth and death as neonates, infants, or children.
A serious health risk to adolescent brides is HIV/AIDS infection.
A study conducted in Kenya and Zambia by University of Chicago researchers found that among 15 to 19 year-old girls who are sexually active, early marriage increased their chances of having HIV by more than 75 per cent. Existing research suggests that one reason why married girls may be more vulnerable to HIV is because they have little option to change their sexual behaviour in response to knowledge about HIV.
For example, when asked how HIV knowledge changed their behaviour, unmarried girls in Zambia and Kenya were much more likely to report that they stopped having sex in response to knowledge about HIV risk than married girls (18 per cent in Kenya and 27 per cent in Zambia). In contrast, married girls do not have the option of abstaining from sex. This can be attributed to the fact that these young married girls have little or no power to enforce any sexual habits in the relationship.
Unmarried girls were also more likely to report condom use than married girls. This makes sense because research shows that men are more likely to use condoms outside of marriage than with their wives. Young married girls can be at risk of contracting HIV and AIDS if their husbands are significantly older and therefore more likely to have contracted HIV or AIDS in their lifetime.
Ending child marriage will eliminate a significant source of HIV/AIDS and other health risks for girls.
Our Commitment to the Girl Child
Centre for Health Solutions – Kenya does not support early child marriages.
Through TEGEMEZA (link back to Tegemeza page), a 5-year program funded by The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CHS contributes towards HIV prevention, care and treatment of adults, adolescents and children in Kenya.
CHS supports 20 adolescent peer educators in Central Province to promote adherence among adolescents and provide them with psychosocial support. A total of 30 health care workers have been trained on the care of adolescents living with HIV. Through training, mentorship and financial support from CHS, adolescent peer educators have acquired a great level of knowledge on HIV, medication, adherence and positive living that they utilise to provide support to adolescents living with HIV.