Mozambique has become a “model country in the fight against premature unions on the continent and in the region”, with the approval of Law No. 19/2019, on the Prevention and Combat of Premature Unions, according to the representative of Plan International, a non-governmental organisation working to eradicate this problem that places Mozambique at the top of the list of countries with the highest rates of premature unions, occupying 10th place worldwide and 2nd in Sub-Saharan Africa, after Malawi.
The data was revealed on Wednesday morning (9) during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) parliamentarians’ conference on the implementation of legislation to prevent and combat premature unions.
According to Plan, despite the lack of updated data, 48% of girls are forced into early unions before the age of 18, 14% before the age of 14, due to the lack of knowledge of the norms by the communities and sometimes by the own will of the girls who try to escape poverty by resorting to marriage.
“With the implementation of the standards there are positive results, girls are made aware and rescued and educated to continue with schooling in the family of origin”.
The meeting is attended by parliamentarians, representatives of the European Union (EU), the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sweden and members of the Pan African Parliament and the African Union.
