Child and forced marriage as violation of women's rights, and responses by member states in Southern African Development Community

This briefing examines child and forced marriage as harmful traditional and cultural practices which violate the rights of the girl children in the Southern African Development Community region, and assesses measures taken by member states to address them. It is based on secondary data collected through a review of studies, reports, policy documents and surveys from various data sets from national, regional and international organisations. The findings show that the practices have devastating physical and psychological effects on girl children as their rights are violated. They also put girl children at risk of contracting life-threatening and infectious diseases, and may lead to loss of lives. The practices reinforce the inferior status and submissive role of women. Although there are measures in place to outlaw child and forced marriages, the practice continues unabated due to lack of capacity, resources and commitment among implementers. Because culture is a phenomenon which is deeply embedded in the individual or the group, to change or dislodge it may require a process of influencing those who practice that culture through education and mobilisation rather than the instrumentality of legislation or policy alone. Education and mobilisation should operate hand in hand with legislation.