Ending Child Marriage and Harmful Traditional Practices from Eritrea - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Ending Child Marriage and Harmful Traditional Practices from Eritrea

September 7-11, 2015

Radisson

BLU

Hotel,

Lusaka, ZambiaSlide2

Content of Presentation

Eritrea Country profile

Regional and International conventions on Child Rights;

International & National legal Instruments

Customary Laws

Traditional Practices

The status of Child Marriage & FGM/C in Eritrea;

The approaches used to combat child marriage & FGM/C prevention and control and

The progress made

Challenges and the way forward;Slide3

Eritrea Country Profile

Located in the Horn of Africa

Area = 124,000 sq.km

Pop = 3.5 million

Literacy rate:

68.5%

6 Admin Regions (

Zobas

)

Borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan and the Red Sea.

Independence in 1991

Mountainous arid & terrain

Prone to natural hazards

Low income countrySlide4

Regional and International conventions on Child Rights

The Government of the state of Eritrea has been committed to promote & protect the rights and welfare of children; and

Eritrea has signed & ratified the African Charter on the Rights & Welfare of the Child

(ACRWC)

in 2000; submitted its consolidated report which covers the entire 2002-2013 period.

Has signed & ratified the UN convention on the Rights of Child

(CRC)

since 1994; and

Eritrea is signatory to several international conventions that enhance the respect & safeguard the broad, & specific principles of human rights. Slide5

National Legal Instruments (ERITREA)

The Eritrean Civil Code (article 581 and 329) mentions that

marriageability

age is attainment of 18 years.

Proclamation No. 1/1991 of the

GoSE specifies that any contract of marriage made between persons (spouses) below 18 years of age is null void, and that the spouses and witnesses to such marriage shall be

punishable under the penal Code (Art.614);

and

article 158/2007 to abandonee FGM/C.Slide6

National legal Instruments (ERITREA)

Art. 607. age.- 1. Criminal sanction

(1) An officer of civil status or authority having celebrated the marriage of a woman under eighteen years of age or a man under eighteen years of age shall be liable to the punishment provided in the penal code if he knew or should have known such circumstances.

(2) The bride groom or the bride who is under eighteen years of age, the persons who have consented to the marriage and the witness shall be liable to the punishment provided in the penal code.Slide7

Customary Laws (ERITREA)

Most customary laws determine

marriagability

age through consensus of community elders; while the unwritten customary laws determined such ages according to

physical maturity, cultural ceremonies and participation in economic activities;

Most customary laws do not, however, specifically state the minimum age for marriage and other marital relationships;

Slide8

Traditional Practices (ERITREA)

Early marriage is associated with the deeply rooted traditional practices, because some parents believe that early marriage provides girls a better marriage opportunity;

Female early marriage is traditional practice intending to protect female adolescents from engaging in premarital sex (virginity), which is perceived a crucial factor for a better marriage opportunity and family stability; Slide9

Child Marriage in Eritrea

Child marriage

is a

problem in

Eritrea, and marriage occurs relatively earlier for

girls. The EPHS 2010 indicates that among women aged 20-24: 13

percent

were married by

age

15

,

and

41

percent

were married

by

age

18

(EPHS 2010).Slide10

Child Marriage in Eritrea

Not all

girls face

proportionately the same risk of becoming child brides within the Eritrean society.

The

rate of child marriage happens more in rural; less educated and lower wealth quintiles compared to urban, educated and high wealth quintiles respectively. Slide11

The m

edian age at first marriage for women age 30-49

by area &

Geographical Location (EPHS 2010)

22Asmara yrs

Towns 19 yrs

Rural 17 yrs

Zoba

Debub

Age 16 yrs

Zoba

Makael

21 yrsSlide12

Education background, & Wealth Quintile

Background

Median Age

at F

irst

Marriage

Secondary education

25 years , 5 years higher than the median age of women with

middle

Middle level Education

20 years

No Education

17 years,

Higher wealth Q

21 years

lowest wealth quintile

17 years

(4yrs younger than

highest wealth quintile ;Slide13

Child Marriage in Eritrea

Early marriage affects girl’s survival and development to their full potential; as well as deprive their rights to education.

In

Eritrea, early marriage is

also the

main reason for dropping out of school, where (69% of girls

and

39% of

boys)

age

15-29 who ever attended school

were

dropped out of school

(EPHS

2010

). Slide14

Trends in Prevalence of Female Circumcision

Percent of

women age 15-49 circumcised

Note: Data for

2002 is

recalculated

using WHO reference standard to be comparable to 2010 data.Slide15

Daughters Circumcision on U5 & U15

Percentage circumcisedSlide16

Reason For Not Circumcising Daughter

Percent of womenSlide17

Trends of Practice of Female Circumcision Should Be Discontinued

Percent of

women age 15-49Slide18

Practice of Female Circumcision Should Be Discontinued By Age

Percent of women

Eritrea total

82%Slide19

Early Marriage Prevention Program

Successful early marriage prevention approach should be collaborative approached by the teens, their families, teachers, health professionals, child protection Orgs, & Faith Based Orgs. communities, lawmakers, & law enforcing bodies, & other community organizations.

The approach to this intervention is to strongly advocate the government authorities, religious leaders, community associations and law enforcement authorities to enforce the law; as well as to work to end child marriage; Slide20

Intervention To End Child Marriage

The

MoLHW

has been organizing training workshops to its social workers who are stationed at sub regional levels, and also organized

Child Well-being Committee CWC & Anti FGM/C

whose main purpose is to expedite the implementation of the CRC and the African Charter on the Rights & Welfare of the Child (ACRWC);

Members of the CWC are organized at sub-Regional level, & consists of

MoLHW

, MOJ, MOH, MOE, MOI,

MoLG

, Police, NUEW, NUEYS and 2 (

14-17 yrs) teen

agers; so far there are 42/53 CWC formed in the country.

The priority activities of the CWC committee are to expedite Zero tolerance to FGM & pursue anti early marriage campaigns, and to

abundon

other Harmful Traditional Practices;Slide21

Outcome of interventions

The Chile Wellbeing Committee measures the Knowledge, attitude and Practices (KAP) and other indicators of the communities in that village, and if the village is ready to declare based on the outcome of the study, them the village will declare that their village is HTP Free village;

So far 10 villages has declared as

HTP FREE

villages, and more than 20 villages are ready and the CWC is in the process of measuring the indicators;Slide22

Challenges

Working on traditional practices, takes time, because It requires strong attitudinal behavior change in families, communities and opinion leaders including religious leaders; it is also difficult to follow the practice, as it can also be performed secretly;

Updated data on early marriage is required to measure progress;

Strong coordination on national actors at regional and sub-regional is crucial;

More funding to proceed the campaign of FGM/C and Anti-early marriage practice is required;Slide23

On Conclusions….

In spite of the challenges, the

GoSE

is committed to pursue not only to campaign against the HTP, but to work vigorously towards the abandonment of all the harmful practices;

We are also pleased to be part of this training session organized by the AU, as we can learn more from sister countries and the AU experts; Slide24

Demhina

THANK YOU