DOREEN NAWA, Gaborone
ENDING child marriage is indeed a mandatory task if the southern African region and Africa as a whole is to make progress in global efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is not that simple. It requires unambiguous political commitment, visionary leadership from all stakeholders, and support for grassroots advocacy to address many of the cultural practices and behaviours that place young women and girls at increased multiple health risks, including HIV.
And in an effort to accelerate advocacy, address community perceptions of child marriage and a lack of awareness about its associated health risks, African Union Commission and other partners held a workshop for journalists in Gaborone, Botswana to increase advocacy to ending child marriage through engagement of the media in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.
The participants of this workshop included representatives from the SADC Parliamentary Forum, journalists from Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as representatives from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Plan International.
Clearly, if the high rates of child marriage in SADC and the rest of the continent are to decrease, legislation alone will not be enough – a wider effort is needed to change community attitudes towards the practice.
“The role that the media can play in helping to raise awareness of child marriage cannot be overemphasised. Media plays a huge role in shaping opinions and, if properly presented, good journalism can help change entire communities’ perceptions towards child marriage,” says head of social welfare and vulnerable groups at the African Union Commission (AUC) under the Social Affairs department Johan Strijdom during the opening of the meeting on Tuesday last week.
Child marriage is illegal in marriageSADC countries and this is so because of the numerous treaties and protocols that the member countries have signed though the practice still occurs in large numbers.
And sadly, the practice is on the increase.
The persistent neglect of the plight of child brides in the SADC region is a direct reflection of the failure of the region’s collective responsibility to protect the human rights of vulnerable young people.
The silenced voices of the many millions of young women and girls forced into marriage before their eighteenth birthday signify complacency and discrimination, hence the coming on board of the media to increase awareness and advocacy on issues of child marriage.
During the workshop, it was noted with concern that most countries in the region have laws on the minimum age of marriage, but they are largely ineffective, not enforced or operate alongside customary and religious laws.
A twenty-three-year-old Zambian child marriage survivor, Chipasha Iliamupu said traditions and cultural norms which rule the social lives of many practising communities in the region and beyond should not be used as an excuse to neglect the duty to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of young women.
Ms Chipasha feels that journalists alone cannot stir up a positive change towards ending child marriages but politicians and other government officials in respective member states in the region can work out modalities to ensure implementation and monitoring of activities aimed at ending child marriages are on track.
“There is need for effective accountability on the progress made in domesticating their national, regional and international agreements on ending child marriage which currently seems to be a low priority issue. Member states should lead the review, harmonising, simplifying laws and repeal old, irrelevant laws,” she said.
But all this can be done if the media takes up an accountability role and gives priority to news coverage on child marriages and other social ills affecting women and girls in the SADC region.
During the three-day meeting, it was observed that child marriage coverage is seen a low priority issue for the media because of the cagy attitudes of government officials, partners and various organisation with statistics that show the extent of the problem.
And Communications and Advocacy Specialist at SADC PF Moses Magadza said progress is, however, being made, but by working in partnership with various partners and journalists can contribute to credible awareness-raising capable of reaching large numbers of people.
“The coverage of sensitive issues like child marriage and early pregnancy need qualitative and quantitative data and this can only be possible if the media works closely with various stakeholders. Trainings like this one are important but there is need to target the editors too,” Mr Magadza said.
Child marriage violates a girl’s rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives, and traps them in a cycle of poverty.
Child marriage directly hinders achievement of at least six of the SDGs. Child brides face huge challenges as a result of being married as children.
Isolated, often with their freedom curtailed, girls frequently feel disempowered and are deprived of their fundamental rights to health, education and safety.
If member states are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and uphold the human rights of women and girls, they must act now to end child marriage. And that has to come from a clear political commitment and appropriate policies.
At the workshop, participants shared that the problem of child marriages is particularly acute in areas outside of the capital city, where journalists lack support and proper training to address sensitive issues.
Participants appreciated that helping to improve the credibility of reporting on child marriages is vital and various partners should not assume, however, that journalists know of the issues that surround early marriage.
Journalists at the workshop shared that they were willing to engage with non-governmental organisations on sensitive issues like child marriage, but expressed frustration that a mutually supportive relationship had not been established.
By bringing together journalists and various partners to discuss these issues face-to-face, the workshop demonstrated the importance of building a constructive, rather than critical relationship with the media.
Engaging with the media and ensuring accurate coverage of child marriage is an approach relevant to SADC region.
Journalists can become allies, and by building a constructive relationship with them, various stakeholders will gain the support of people who shape mass opinion on a daily basis.
As the workshop demonstrated, an effective relationship with the media is invaluable.
PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON APRIL 2, 2017.
ENDING child marriage is indeed a mandatory task if the southern African region and Africa as a whole is to make progress in global efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is not that simple. It requires unambiguous political commitment, visionary leadership from all stakeholders, and support for grassroots advocacy to address many of the cultural practices and behaviours that place young women and girls at increased multiple health risks, including HIV.
And in an effort to accelerate advocacy, address community perceptions of child marriage and a lack of awareness about its associated health risks, African Union Commission and other partners held a workshop for journalists in Gaborone, Botswana to increase advocacy to ending child marriage through engagement of the media in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.
The participants of this workshop included representatives from the SADC Parliamentary Forum, journalists from Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as representatives from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Plan International.
Clearly, if the high rates of child marriage in SADC and the rest of the continent are to decrease, legislation alone will not be enough – a wider effort is needed to change community attitudes towards the practice.
“The role that the media can play in helping to raise awareness of child marriage cannot be overemphasised. Media plays a huge role in shaping opinions and, if properly presented, good journalism can help change entire communities’ perceptions towards child marriage,” says head of social welfare and vulnerable groups at the African Union Commission (AUC) under the Social Affairs department Johan Strijdom during the opening of the meeting on Tuesday last week.
Child marriage is illegal in marriageSADC countries and this is so because of the numerous treaties and protocols that the member countries have signed though the practice still occurs in large numbers.
And sadly, the practice is on the increase.
The persistent neglect of the plight of child brides in the SADC region is a direct reflection of the failure of the region’s collective responsibility to protect the human rights of vulnerable young people.
The silenced voices of the many millions of young women and girls forced into marriage before their eighteenth birthday signify complacency and discrimination, hence the coming on board of the media to increase awareness and advocacy on issues of child marriage.
During the workshop, it was noted with concern that most countries in the region have laws on the minimum age of marriage, but they are largely ineffective, not enforced or operate alongside customary and religious laws.
A twenty-three-year-old Zambian child marriage survivor, Chipasha Iliamupu said traditions and cultural norms which rule the social lives of many practising communities in the region and beyond should not be used as an excuse to neglect the duty to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of young women.
Ms Chipasha feels that journalists alone cannot stir up a positive change towards ending child marriages but politicians and other government officials in respective member states in the region can work out modalities to ensure implementation and monitoring of activities aimed at ending child marriages are on track.
“There is need for effective accountability on the progress made in domesticating their national, regional and international agreements on ending child marriage which currently seems to be a low priority issue. Member states should lead the review, harmonising, simplifying laws and repeal old, irrelevant laws,” she said.
But all this can be done if the media takes up an accountability role and gives priority to news coverage on child marriages and other social ills affecting women and girls in the SADC region.
During the three-day meeting, it was observed that child marriage coverage is seen a low priority issue for the media because of the cagy attitudes of government officials, partners and various organisation with statistics that show the extent of the problem.
And Communications and Advocacy Specialist at SADC PF Moses Magadza said progress is, however, being made, but by working in partnership with various partners and journalists can contribute to credible awareness-raising capable of reaching large numbers of people.
“The coverage of sensitive issues like child marriage and early pregnancy need qualitative and quantitative data and this can only be possible if the media works closely with various stakeholders. Trainings like this one are important but there is need to target the editors too,” Mr Magadza said.
Child marriage violates a girl’s rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives, and traps them in a cycle of poverty.
Child marriage directly hinders achievement of at least six of the SDGs. Child brides face huge challenges as a result of being married as children.
Isolated, often with their freedom curtailed, girls frequently feel disempowered and are deprived of their fundamental rights to health, education and safety.
If member states are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and uphold the human rights of women and girls, they must act now to end child marriage. And that has to come from a clear political commitment and appropriate policies.
At the workshop, participants shared that the problem of child marriages is particularly acute in areas outside of the capital city, where journalists lack support and proper training to address sensitive issues.
Participants appreciated that helping to improve the credibility of reporting on child marriages is vital and various partners should not assume, however, that journalists know of the issues that surround early marriage.
Journalists at the workshop shared that they were willing to engage with non-governmental organisations on sensitive issues like child marriage, but expressed frustration that a mutually supportive relationship had not been established.
By bringing together journalists and various partners to discuss these issues face-to-face, the workshop demonstrated the importance of building a constructive, rather than critical relationship with the media.
Engaging with the media and ensuring accurate coverage of child marriage is an approach relevant to SADC region.
Journalists can become allies, and by building a constructive relationship with them, various stakeholders will gain the support of people who shape mass opinion on a daily basis.
As the workshop demonstrated, an effective relationship with the media is invaluable.
PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON APRIL 2, 2017.
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