One year of partnership: Equality Now and the SADC Parliamentary Forum unite to end child marriage and gender-based violence

H.E. Boemo Sekgoma, Secretary General of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. Photo credit: Focus Media Productions

Across Southern Africa, millions of girls are still being married before they turn 18,  their education cut short, their potential limited, their rights denied. According to UNICEF, at the current pace, child marriage will not end in the region for another 300 years.

Yet, change is happening. In October 2024, Equality Now and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) joined forces under a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate progress towards ending child marriage and gender-based violence (GBV). The partnership is demonstrating that when lawmakers and rights advocates collaborate, transformation is possible.

A partnership rooted in shared values and a vision for gender equality

Established in 1997, the SADC PF unites 15 national parliaments and more than 3,500 parliamentarians across the region. It has pioneered model laws, including the SADC Model Law on Gender-Based Violence adopted in 2021 and the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage adopted in 2016, which guide Member States in aligning their national legislation with international human rights standards.

Equality Now, founded in 1992, works globally to end violence and discrimination against women and girls. For over 30 years, the organisation has campaigned for governments to set 18 as the minimum marriage age, with no exceptions, and to ensure laws protect and empower girls.

Together, Equality Now and SADC PF bring complementary strengths: legislative influence, advocacy expertise, and a shared commitment to ensuring every woman and girl lives free from violence and discrimination.

Building the foundations for change: what the MoU delivers

Signed on 28 October 2024, the MoU provides a framework to drive coordinated action through:

• Awareness raising: Increased commitment from governments in Southern Africa to address child marriage and gender based violence in the region through awareness-raising campaigns highlighting the impact of child marriage and gender-based violence across the region, as well as opportunities for strengthening legal reforms to accelerate progress. 
• Capacity building: Enhancing capacities of policy makers and state actors to strengthen and implement SADC Model Laws by equipping parliamentarians with the knowledge, tools and ongoing technical support to draft, debate, and enforce rights-based laws to strengthen parliament oversight role for member states to be held accountable to fulfil their obligations at the national and regional levels in line with African union, United Nations and SADC commitments and mechanisms. 
• Research and policy development: Strengthening evidence base to contribute to technical support to inform national legal reform and implementation of the SADC Model Laws. 
• Joint advocacy: Ensure strong partnerships are strengthened between state and non-state actors for efficient multistakeholder coordination for joint action to end child marriage and gender based violence in the region, in collaboration with civil society and media to sustain public attention and political will.

Why this matters now

Child marriage is not only a violation of human rights; it is a barrier to education, health, and economic freedom. Climate crises and poverty are deepening the problem, forcing families into desperate decisions. Across the SADC region, girls face intersecting forms of violence, from sexual exploitation to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), that undermine their safety and dignity. Parliaments hold the power to change this reality through legislation, oversight, and representation that puts girls’ rights at the centre of governance.

From dialogue to action: Key achievements

Over the past year, the Equality Now and SADC PF partnership has moved from dialogue to action:

1. Evidence to influence

In 2023, Equality Now, UNFPA, and SADC PF published four policy briefs analysing gaps in national child-marriage laws and recommending harmonisation with the SADC Model Law. These briefs have guided parliamentarians and stakeholders in accelerating legal reform and improving protection mechanisms.

Building on that foundation, in October 2025, Equality Now and SADC PF launched new publications:

• Addressing-emerging-drivers-of-child-marriages-in-Eastern-and-Southern-Africa-Policy-Brief-English.pdf
• Protection-measures-for-children-already-in-marriage-in-Eastern-and-Southern-Africa-Policy-Brief-English.pdf

These new briefs identify emerging drivers such as climate-induced displacement, mass migration and conflict, , while calling for stronger support systems and protection mechanisms for survivors of child marriage.

Together, these publications provide a practical roadmap for parliamentarians, policymakers, and civil society partners to accelerate legal reform, strengthen protection mechanisms, and advance collaboration across the region to end child marriage.

2. Regional engagement and capacity building

A joint meeting of SADC PF Standing Committees and the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in May 2023 brought together over 100 parliamentarians to discuss domestication of Model Laws on Child Marriage and Gender-Based Violence. Members shared good practices and identified national reform priorities.

3. Addressing tech-facilitated gender based violence

Leveraging the SADC Model Law on GBV, Equality Now is advocating for member states and other stakeholders to recognise tech-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) as part of the continuum of violence against women and girls. We are collaborating with the SADC PF on a forthcoming policy brief on implementing the SADC GBV Model Law to support governments in addressing offline and online violence. We plan to jointly launch and disseminate the brief at the SADC PF’s November Assembly, creating a concrete pathway for regional legislators to embed digital rights into law and enhance responses to TFGBV. 

Looking ahead: A promise to the people of Southern Africa

As the MoU enters its second year, Equality Now and SADC PF remain committed to translating policy into impact. Priorities for the year ahead include:

• Supporting Member Parliaments to domesticate and implement the Model Laws through research, technical support, and capacity development initiatives. 
• Expanding regional solidarity and advocacy to address child marriage, GBV, and TFGBV.

This partnership is more than an agreement; it is a promise to the people of Southern Africa that gender equality will remain at the heart of governance.

A call to action

Real change requires collective effort. We invite parliamentarians, civil society organisations, survivors, youth, and community leaders to join us in advocating for a region where every girl can live free from child marriage and violence.

Read the policy briefs. Watch the short films The Most Important Thing and Deferred Dreams. 

Together, we can make equality a lived reality for women and girls across Southern Africa 

Join us in advocacy to end GBV and child marriage. 

Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Together we can accelerate progress #ChildNotWife.