Shocking reveal of underage marriages in South Africa
The Community survey 2016 results released by Statistics South Africa indicate that over 91 000 girls in South Africa between the ages of 12 and 17 are married, divorced, separated, widowed or living with a partner as husband and wife, with the latter forming the majority of the group.
“These shocking statistics paint a dire picture for the emancipation of young African children and women,” said Professor Deirdre Byrne, Chairperson of the Unisa-Africa Girl Development Programme (UNISA-AGDP), recently launched to promote girls’ rights and highlighting gender inequalities.
Prof Byrne said that according to the 2015 Africa Index, nine of the world’s 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are in Africa.
“Although the South African stats are lower compared to the rest of Africa, which represents 125 million of the 700 million world-wide child-brides (or 17 per cent), the fact that child brides are a reality in South Africa, a country with one of the world’s best constitutions, is frightening.
“UNICEF found in a study in 2015 that more than one in three of these African women and girls (over 40 million) entered into marriage or union before age 15. If current trends continue, almost half of the world’s child brides in 2050 will be African.”
Byrne said child brides are a toxic combination of regressive gender norms that make families regard daughters as sources of revenue, instead of as treasured family members.
“Patriarchy reinforced by cultural believes and practices values the life of a son far higher than that of a daughter due to the status of a boy carrying the family name, continuing the family business, and contributing financially to the family home. Girls are in such an instance seen as a drain on the resources and with the father making all the decisions the girl’s prospects are grim.”
“In addition the economic inequalities that besiege our society lead to poor families who do not have the resources to feed all their children, ‘selling’ their underage daughters to lascivious men.
“Social inequities such as this together with the high maternal mortality and violence against women, weakens a society and is not only an issue of women but also impedes the development of Africa.
“When women are exposed to poor health, illiteracy, lack of control over fertility and employment, or basic human rights, their children pay the price too creating a downward spiral of stagnant economical development and growth.”
“The only vehicle to decreasing the number of child brides is through education and these appalling statistics only highlights the need for placing girl’s education at the top of the agenda and the relevance of launching the AGDP programme.”
Byrne said it’s vital to keep girls in school to break the cycle of poverty, abuse and child marriages.
For more information visit www.unisa-agdp.org, or email info@unisa-agdp.org
