Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Verónica Macamo, on Wednesday pledged to fight premature marriages, considering them an attack on the human rights of adolescent girls.
Verónica Macamo pointed out that almost one in two Mozambican children under the age of 17 are forced to live in a marriage with an older man, or 48 per cent of the country’s girls.
“Our experience leads us to believe that we should redouble our efforts in the provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Manica, because it is in these geographical areas of our country where the practice seems to be more common”, she emphasised.
“The experience shows that it is not enough to legislate, it is important that there is a programme, a plan and a deep will to materialise the commitment for the well-being of Mozambican children and girls”.
“This undertaking must take place in all spheres and on all fronts. It is essential to continue with our efforts to raise awareness and mobilise for the enforcement of the law”, she continued.
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She defended the promotion of programmes to strengthen public and private institutions, particularly those working in areas including young girls’ and women’s defence issues.
“It is clear that in order to achieve more gains, it is important to invest in prevention, because it is the cheapest, longest lasting and safest option”, she said.
Macamo stressed the importance of girls’ education, so that they have the economic freedom that will take them away from the vulnerability to premature marriage.
“It falls on us to educate our children so that they know that no early marriage brings happiness, much less solves the problems of poverty,” she said.
While acknowledging the prevalence of challenges, she said that the adoption of the Prevention and Combating Premature Unions Act on July 19, 2019 was one of the major achievements in the fight to promote the rights of children and girls.
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The latest official data indicates that 48% of Mozambican girls marry before the age of 18, a situation that for non-governmental organisations is aggravated by the inefficient implementation of the legislation, in addition to poverty and customs.
The law provides for punishment with a penalty of up to 12 years for an adult who lives maritally with an under-18-year-old.
