Child Marriage in Namibia

In 2016, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) found that 7% of girls in Namibia
are married before they turn 18 (2). Child marriage is a human rights violation, as
children cannot consent to marriage, and young girls likely have to give up their
educational and career prospects when married. Consequently, girls who are married
as children are often economically dependent on their spouses, and this may not only
stump their self-actualization but also may make it hard to leave a potentially
abusive relationship.

So why do they happen? There is a single answer to this question, as some families
may marry off their daughters in exchange for money or property (e.g. cattle), especially
if they are living in poverty. Other answers may involve gender inequality and the
devaluation of women more broadly (a phenomenon not limited to Namibia).

In acknowledgement of this issue, Doreen Sioka, the Minister of Gender Equality and
Child Welfare, publicly condemned childhood marriage in Namibia this International
Women’s Day. In her words, “Child marriage is the worst kind of atrocity perpetrated in the
name of culture; it is equivalent to murder. It permanently damages the future of an
innocent Namibian child, and impunity for such cases is fast coming to an end" (1).

-EM

References:

1. https://www.namibian.com.na/65184/read/Say-no-to-child-marriages-in-Namibia-%E2%
80%93-Sioka

2. https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/namibia/

3. http://namibia.unfpa.org/en/video/5400-child-marriages-namibia-2011-according-un

4. https://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage