A scheme involving solar lamps is helping thousands of Ethiopian girls stay in school longer and avoid marriage until they are adults.
It’s estimated that more than 100 million girls under the age of 18 will be married in the next decade.
But in Ethiopia a scheme involving solar lamps is helping thousands of girls stay in school longer and avoid marriage until they are adults.
A film by Ruth Evans, Lily Freeston and Hadra Ahmed for People Fixing the World.
Source: BBC World Service
—–
Home to 15 million child brides: child marriage still rampant in Ethiopia
The problem of child marriages is still prevalent around the world, even in countries making major progress to improve women’s rights.
One such country is Ethiopia, where 40 per cent of girls are married before their 18th birthday. Twenty per cent of girls are married before turning 15.
Zeru Fantaw is the child protection program lead for aid agency, Plan International. Speaking to SBS News in Ethiopia, he says the practice of child marriage is rampant in the country – particularly in rural areas – and is perpetuated by gender inequality and tribal traditions.
“Child marriage is a very serious problem because it is age-long,” Mr Fantaw told SBS News.
“For centuries, the community was practicing child marriage for different reasons; it’s going to be economic, it’s going to be social, or traditions, so the community were highly practicing this issues.”
Child marriage is illegal in Ethiopia, with the government announcing in 2014 that it would eliminate the practice by 2025. But Mr Fantaw believes that won’t be possible, until girls across Ethiopia are supported to stay in school.
He says the implementation of laws and policies against child marriage are “very poor”.
“It has a number of impacts against the girls, in relation to with health, in relation to with education, there are a number of issues,” Mr Fantaw said.
Read the complete story at SBS News