National launch of the campaign ‘Together for a Senegal free from child marriage’

What better way to bear the standard for the first national launch of the campaign in a francophone country than to hear more than 1,200 children chanting for our campaign!

A week of meticulously planned activities began on 19 March in order to mark the public launch of World Vision Senegal’s campaign to put an end to child marriage. Many months of dedicated teamwork had led up to this moment.

More than 1,200 children coming from Dakar and World Vision Senegal’s programmes flocked to the Grand Theatre in the capital to share their desire to put an end to child marriage by 2030. The campaign also forms part of the Senegalese government’s national campaign against child marriage and efforts to fulfil the SDGs 5.3 and 16.2.

The week was given momentum by debates at all levels that reinforced the point that Senegal has a fundamental problem. One in three children is married before the age of 18. Child marriage is not only a denial of their basic rights, but also an issue that is critical to their good health and well-being, with profound psychosocial and emotional ramifications. The babies of mothers under 20 suffer a sharply increased risk of mortality, and mothers under 15 have an 88% chance of having an obstetric fistula. These are only some of the horrors which need to be addressed.

Dr. Andrew Catford, World Vision Senegal National Director

World Vision Senegal National Director, Dr. Andrew Catford addressed the gathering with these words:

“Child marriage affects almost 33% of Senegalese society. World Vision cannot stand idly by in the face of such a problem. World Vision and its partners will spend the years to come striving to:

• bring visibility to moves to prompt behaviour-change which are led by, with and for children, as well as raising awareness and carrying out bold and effective measures to put an end to child marriage;
• strengthen measures of prevention, response and support for cases of child marriage;
• increase long-term funding earmarked for putting an end to child marriage;
• support the state in seeing through its commitments to this effect.

“The eradication of child marriage constitutes a challenge which requires the mobilisation of all partners and populations at all levels. Children and young people also have a role to play in this campaign by becoming the proponents of qualitative change – taking an active part in the decision-making processes that affect them. These bodies are the Children’s Parliament, the Young Peoples’ Movements and Associations; school councils and various Kids’ Clubs."

“The government has embarked on important legal reforms such as the draft Children’s Code and the draft Children’s Champion initiative. I would like to take the opportunity to reaffirm World Vision’s commitment to work hand in hand with the government of Senegal to support all moves to strengthen the legislative framework in favour of children’s rights, such as raising the legal marriageable age for girls, the penal framework for child marriage, and the promotion of equality of rights between girls and boys.”

Paul Dominique Correa, Advocacy Campaigns Coordinator at World Vision Senegal, made the following points: “Child marriage in Senegal comes at an immeasurable cost, hampering economic development and undermining the social and economic capital of the country. Furthermore, the practice has severe consequences for the health of girl-mothers and new-borns.” He added that the faith-based communities have a central role to play in bringing about change.

Paul Dominique Correa, Advocacy Campaigns Coordinator

The children took advantage of being given the platform in order to deliver a memorandum to government representatives. In the document they demand in particular ‘the end of marriage of girls under 18 and the strengthening of messages that will put a stop to the practice of child marriage’.

The children submitting the memorandum to the authorities

The children particularly wished to make the point that the risk of mother and baby mortality is very high for girls married before the age of 18. “When they are married before 18, girls struggle to find a place in the job market. For the sake of improving their opportunities, it is time to put a stop to child marriage,” declared Fatou, one of the children’s representatives addressing the authorities present at the ceremony.

Fatou, children’s representative giving her speech

Niokhobaye Diouf, the Director of Rights, Childhood Protection and Vulnerable Groups (DDPEGV), indicated that “the government is in the process of clamping down on any sort of marriage involving children.” The phenomenon has consequences for their development: “a girl who has not yet reached physical maturity cannot commit to marriage; the same goes for an underage boy,” he pointed out.

Niokhobaye Diouf, the Director of Rights, Childhood Protection and Vulnerable Groups

Besides this, he also highlighted the economic consequences, such as dropping out of school. He mentioned measures that the Senegalese administration is taking, such as the Children’s Code that is under development. This will raise the minimum marriageable age from 16 to 18, as the children had demanded.

This positive indication is just the beginning. World Vision is calling on all technical partners, members of civil society, the government, religious leaders and others to get involved: ‘Together for a Senegal free from child marriage’.

The children also put on a show

The musician DIP also made an appearance

Photo credits: Alexandre Gassama