Ending Child Marriage in Eastern and Southern Africa

The Eastern and Southern African region has some of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with an estimated 31% of young women and children being married before the age of 18.

Our series of four policy briefs, commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), highlight the need for the enactment of robust legislative and policy frameworks, which are clear, consistent, and in line with international and regional human rights standards; including the Southern African Development Community Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage (SADC Model Law).

The objective of the Model Law is to create a legislative yardstick based on agreed-upon concepts derived from international human rights instruments to which the Member States of SADC have already committed themselves. It is, therefore, a normative tool designed to make it easier for legislators and legislative drafters in the Member States to revise, reform, and improve their domestic laws and policies. In the context of child marriage, SADC Model Law defines a child as a person who is less than 18 years of age.

What’s inside the briefs?

• The status of child marriage in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Current laws on ending child marriage in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
• Challenges and gaps encountered in implementing the multisectoral approach to ending child marriage.
• Recommendations to the SADC Member States on improving these laws and their implementation.

Who are they for? 

• Law and policymakers 
• Legal professionals 
• Civil society 
• Development partners and donor agencies
• Research and academic institutions

Ending Child Marriage in Southern Africa: Gaps and Opportunities in the Legislative Frameworks

Ending Child Marriages in Southern Africa: Domesticating the SADC Model Law on Child Marriage

Ending Child Marriages in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Multisectoral Approach

Ending Child Marriage in Eastern and Southern Africa: Challenges in Implementing Domestic Laws and the SADC Model Law on Child Marriage

Read more in our press release.