The African countries of Gambia and Tanzania have recently acted to protect girls from child and forced marriage. Gambia’s president has announced a ban on child marriage, while a court in Tanzania struck down a law that allowed teen-age girls to marry with parental consent. Gambia’s ban would impose strict criminal penalties for men who marry child brides as well as for parents and persons who perform the marriage ceremonies. Approximately one-third of women and girls in Gambia and Tanzania have been subjected to child marriage.
Some women’s rights activists are concerned that Gambia’s ban could provoke a “backlash” against efforts to end child marriage. They argue that it is also important to allocate money and resources to changing the attitudes of community members toward the harmful practice.
Complied from: Gambia and Tanzania Outlaw Child Marriage, BBC News (July 8, 2016).