Breaking through Arua’s child marriage
Breaking through Arua’s child marriage
By Frank Obonyo
For some time now, we have heard stories of many young girls forced or given into early marriage. Girls have ended up being duped and faced problems thereafter. However, before we start blaming the young girls for abandoning school and choosing marriage at an early age, we should first ask what their families and communities have done to protect them. This is what World Vision in partnership with UNICEF has come to address in Arua District by co-funding “the End Child Marriage Project”
World Vision Uganda National Director Gilbert Kamanga in his speech read by Mark Twinomugisha World Vision Uganda’s Technical Services Director said according to a study carried out by Jain&Kurz, Uganda is ranked 9th among the top 20 hot spot countries for child marriage and that according to figures 49 percent of ever married women aged 20-49 were married by age 18. He said World Vision is committed to undertaking a number of interventions to improve the wellbeing of children and their families.
“No society can afford the lost opportunity, waste of talent, or personal exploitation that child marriage causes. Ending child marriage requires multi stakeholder action at many levels. This is the essence of this one year project called Accelerated community action towards ending child marriages” said Gilbert.
He called upon government, parents and all stakeholders to work together to ensure children have access to education and life skills training in a safe learning environment, invest in a strong decentralized and well coordinated birth registration system for improved child protection, the existing laws relating to child marriage be enforced, especially when girls at risk of child marriage, or who are already married seek protection and justice, parents and leaders to work together to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violation, harm and abuse and children should be empowered and given information for self protection and ability to report violence inflicted on them.
At the inception meeting in Arua town’s social centre, the chief guest Samuel Nyakua Wadri, Chairman Local Council V Arua district said that the issue of child marriage has been on the rise and is majorly caused by parents who think that the shortest way to wealth is trading off their daughters. He warned some religious leaders who allow children to get married at an early age calling it “a devilish act.”
The objective of the meeting was to introduce the End child marriage project to over 50 district stakeholders and build partnerships for effective implementation.
The project will cover sub-counties namely; River Oli, Adumi, Dadamu, Manibe, Oluko, Pajulu, Rigbo, Aiivu, Katrini, Omugo, Udupi, Ajia, Arivu, Logiri and Vurra.
FACTS ABOUT THE PROJECT
OVERALL GOAL
“To contribute to the achievement of the national strategy on ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy through community mobilization to accelerate community led actions to end child marriages in Uganda”
KEY ACTIVITIES
· Capacity building, community mobilization, IECs & media engagements, Partnership & Coalition building, dialogues at community & national level.
OUT PUTS
Households are increasingly aware of the benefits of investing in adolescent girls and ending child marriage, adolescent girls aged 10-19 actively participating in targeted programme (life skills, health information, economic empowerment, social protection), households are increasingly aware of the benefits of investing in adolescent girls and ending child marriage, communities empowered to engage duty bearers towards prevention of child marriage and other forms of violence against children.