The Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique on Monday, approved a law on the prevention of early marriage.
Edson Macuacua, Head of the Commission of Human Rights, Constitutional Affairs and Legality, who lauded the parliament for the legislation, told the parliamentarians that with the law, there would be a reduction in the number of girls dropping out of school and fewer girls forced to marry at an early age.
“It will ensure full growth and development of the girls’ personality, which contributes to a more just society, where boys and girls enjoy equal opportunities,’’ said Macuacua.
Mozambique is among the top ten countries with the highest rate of early marriage where 48 percent of women got married before they were 18 years.
Poverty is pointed out as one of the main determining factors of the phenomenon.
Child Marriage in Mozambique
Mozambique has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, affecting almost one in every two girls, and has the second highest rate in the eastern and southern African sub-region. Some 48 per cent of women in Mozambique aged 20–24 were first married or in a union before the age of 18, and 14 per cent before the age of 15 (DHS, 2011).
