Child marriage in Africa under the age of 18

Source: Afri-dev.info (2015). www.afri-dev.info

Globally, 21% of women are married before the age of 18 and an estimated 650 million girls and women alive today were married as children, while 12 million girls under the age of 18 are married each year, according to data from UNICEF (2020). A quarter of these girls live in sub-Saharan African countries and of the 20 countries with the highest rate of early marriage, 18 are on the African continent.

Child marriage is defined as any formal marriage or informal union where at least one of the contracting parties or both are under 18 years of age. This practice occurs throughout the world and is affected by gender inequalities since it is 5 times more common in girls than in boys.

In The Gambia, a National Strategic Child Protection Plan was launched in 2016 that centralized the issue of child marriage as a problem to be addressed due to its high rates. So, in this year the legal age for marriage was raised from 18 years and child marriage now is considered a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison, both for the parents and the spouse of the minor. However, despite efforts to decrease the prevalence of the practice through legislation, it remains common in the territory, where 36% of women in their 20 to 24 years have been married underage (UNFPA-UNICEF, 2018).

This map has been designed as an interactive online tool, available internationally and with the possibility of being updated periodically. To elaborate it, Wassu Gambia Kafo developed and administered KAP surveys (Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices) on child marriage in The Gambia, so it offers a visual representation of the distribution of the results by region of residence. Age, gender and ethnic group were other criteria chosen in the investigation and, to support this visual map, an article with mixed methods analysis has been prepared.

On the other hand, the map includes a directory of entities that work or have worked on the issue in the Gambian context. This section aims to give visibility to the main social actors, promoting networking and the generation of synergies.

Questions

Do you think it is right to force a girl or woman into marriage?

1

Is child marriage practiced in your family/household?

4

Do you think child marriage should continue?

2

If you had a daughter, would you marry her off as a child?

5

Does child marriage have negative consequences?

3

Would you support any law banning child marriage?

6

2. CHILD MARRIAGE IN THE GAMBIA BY REGION

Do you think child marriage should continue?

NO

YES

Central
River Region

70%

30%

Greater
Banjul Area

81%

19%

Lower River
Region

64%

36%

North Bank
East

60%

38%

North Bank
West

56%

42%

Upper River
Region

56%

42%

West Coast
Region.1

84%

16%

West Coast
Region.2

78%

22%

Do you think child marriage should continue?     (2)
NO 60% - YES 38% ---- North Bank EastNO 70% - YES 30% ---- Central River RegionNO 81% - YES 19% ---- Greater Banjul AreaNO 64% - YES 36% ---- Lower River RegionNO 56% - YES 42% ---- North Bank WestNO 56% - YES 42% ---- Upper River RegionNO 84% - YES 16% ---- West Coast Region 1NO 78% - YES 22% ---- West Coast Region 2

NO 81% - YES 19% ---- Greater Banjul Area

NO 64% - YES 36% ---- Lower River Region

NO 56% - YES 42% ---- Upper River Region

NO 84% - YES 16% ---- West Coast Region 1

NO 78% - YES 22% ---- West Coast Region 2

Question 2

Do you think child marriage should continue?

DIRECTORY – ENTITIES WORKING ON CHILD MARRIAGE

Child Fund The Gambia
GAMCOTRAP

The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP)

E-mail:
info@gamcotrap.org
Webpage:
thegirlsagenda.org


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Network Against Gender Based Violence
Society for the study of women’s health (SSWH)
Think Young Women (TYW)
The Gambia National Assembly

The Gambia National Assembly
(Select Committee on Health, Women, Children, Disaster, Humanitarian Relief and Refugees)

E-mail:
clerk@assembly.gm / nationalassembly32@gmail.com
Webpage: www.assembly.gm

Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare

The KAP surveys were implemented between June and September 2021. To offer a visual representation of the distribution of the results, 6 questions were selected from the set of 32 KAP questionnaires.

This mapping had 400 participants, out of which 200 are men and 200 are female, with ages from 18 to over 65. Surveys were conducted in all regions in The Gambia: 50 KAP surveys were done in North Bank East, 50 in North Bank West, 50 KAPs in Lower River Region, 50 KAPs in Central River Region, 50 KAPs in Upper River Region, 75 KAPs in West Coast Region 1 and 2 and 75 KAP surveys in Greater Banjul Area.

The main objective of this project is to contribute to the generation of knowledge through a study to promote and strengthen preventive interventions that encourage the abandonment of Child Marriage and protect women and girls at risk.

For more information about this study see the following link: 

» If your entity works on Child Marriage and you want to appear represented on this map, write to us at wassukafo@gmail.com «

«Projecte “Coneixement per al canvi: els Matrimonis Infantils a Gambia i el seu impacte a Catalunya” finançat per la Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament.»

«Project “Knowledge for change: Child Marriages in Gambia and its impact in Catalonia” funded by Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.»