Now, not 200 years later – SADC urged to act urgently to end child marriage – NewZimbabwe.com

📅 Published: August 19, 2025

📰 Source: newzimbabwe

Curated by AllZimNews.com

They tabled a comprehensive set of recommendations to SADC Heads of State and Government, meeting this week.

Among the proposals were harmonising laws across statutory, religious, and customary systems to enforce the minimum marriage age of 18 without exceptions, establishing an Anti-Child Marriage Fund to finance survivor protection programmes such as safe homes, counselling, and reintegration services and
Ensuring free healthcare, education, legal aid, and psychosocial support for survivors among other recommendations. “These recommendations emphasise the need for political will, legal clarity, survivor-centred services, community ownership, and adequate funding,” the panel concluded.

Equality Now, which has been campaigning against child marriage since 1995, stressed that regional governments must urgently align with the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Maputo Protocol. “By adopting and implementing these measures, SADC leaders can accelerate the eradication of child marriage, protect survivors, and uphold the rights and dignity of children across the region,” the organisation said. 🔗

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