The African Union works to tackle continent-wide child marriage problem at its latest summit in Johannesburg
- In sub-Saharan Africa, two in five girls are married off before adulthood, with the highest rate in Niger, where three in four are.
- The AU plan requires the criminalization of child marriage and the development of prevention strategies.
- The practice has held the continent back from reaching six of the eight Millennium Development Goals, including education and public health targets.
“It’s unacceptable that a continent as rich as Africa – with oil and diamonds, and with coltan that is found in everyone’s phone – can leave its people so poor that they feel they have no choice but to marry off their daughters.”
More on this story at Reuters.
Outlas 