Zambia: combating child marriage and abuse

Zambia is one of the countries with the highest rates of early marriage and unplanned teenage pregnancy. A third of girls are married before they are 18 years old and, in the slums of Kabwe, where poverty is particularly rife, girls as young as 12 are becoming pregnant.

Girls are particularly affected

Girls, above all, are often subjected to violence or abuse and suffer neglect. Such harmful practices have serious impacts on their physical and emotional health. Gender-based violence, discrimination and early marriage prevent girls from completing their education, thereby denying them the opportunity to earn enough later to enable them to lead independent, self-sufficient lives.

 

In the poor, rural parts of Zambia, girls are also drawn into transactional sex. The corona pandemic and the accompanying school closures exacerbated the situation. Alongside poverty, the causes of unplanned pregnancy and early marriage include a lack of sexual health education, physical violence and discriminatory cultural practices that prepare girls for sex with men. Not only do these girls suffer as a result of their lost childhood and inadequate education, many often die in childbirth before they reach adulthood. Complications that may often occur because their bodies are not yet fully developed can frequently result in death.

Our project covers an area in Central Province, where patriarchal structures and such harmful practices as child marriage and teenage pregnancy are widespread. The project supports more than 4,000 girls and boys in 15 schools. We work closely with schools, government authorities and traditional leaders. Together, we develop solutions to help government efforts to combat child marriage and early pregnancy and reduce school dropout rates. Our goal is to make schools safe places, where girls can learn without fear of violence or discrimination. We also ensure that sufficient clean drinking water is available in schools. 

 

Education protects girls 

The schools have “children’s rights clubs”, in which we raise teenagers’ awareness of their rights, show them how to prevent harmful practices and encourage them to exercise their right to an education. They learn what to do and who to turn to when they, or others, are affected by abuse, early marriage or early pregnancy. By organising days of action, producing radio broadcasts and providing information material, we raise awareness of children’s rights and the negative consequences of harmful practices and dropping out of school. Alongside our awareness raising and preventive work, we are committed to child protection: our goal is to reinforce local child protection laws as a means of promoting the rights and well-being of disadvantaged children and young people in the long term.

 

How we help victims of abuse

We support girls, who have already been forced into early marriage, are pregnant or subjected to other harmful practices, through advice and direct help. We also offer help and advice to families: life counselling and careers advice, life skills training, arranging state support and financial help for school fees and economic support (e.g. providing animals for breeding) to make it easier for girls to reintegrate into school. This support, together with the sale of young animals, enables affected families to finance girls’ schooling and escape the spiral of poverty.

Support our work to protect and empower girls in Zambia by becoming a project sponsor. With your help, we can develop measures to minimise teenage pregnancy and school dropout rates and provide assistance to the girls and families concerned.