African Union seeking end to child marriages

The African Union is seeking to end child marriages in Africa and has stepped up campaigns to eliminate the practice.

Gambia was the latest country on AU’s spotlight where a nationwide sensitization campaign was launched by the nation’s first lady.

The campaign is aimed at ending child marriage by means of supporting and advocating legal and policy actions in the protection and promotion of human rights.

Many African countries have already denounced the practice of child marriages and committed their support to working with the African Union and UNICEF in eradicating it from their communities.

UNICEF has outlined poverty, social norms and customary norms to be the fundamental factors leading to early marriages.

According to UNICEF, over 14.2 million girls under the age of 15 years are getting married annually which is an approximation of 39,000 girls daily.