Post by xElle on Feb 12, 2024 19:21:28 GMT -5
www.nadja.co/2024/02/12/ending-child-marriage-zambia-passes-landmark-marriage-law-amendment/
Zambia sets the marriageable age at 18 without exception for all marriages
Zambia aligns with Congo, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe
1 in 5 girls worldwide marries before they reach the age of 18
Child marriage is now illegal in Zambia, thanks to the new Marriage (Amendment) Act. The landmark amendment, passed in December 2023, defines a child as a “person who has attained, or is below, the age of eighteen years”. It also states that any marriage between persons where either is a child is now void.
“The legislation directly responds to the nation’s urgent challenges, with Zambia witnessing a staggering 1.7 million child brides, 400,000 of whom were married before age 15,” said Sally Ncube, the Regional Representative for Southern Africa at Equality Now, an NGO advocating for the protection and promotion of women’s rights.
Prior to the 2023 amendment, Zambia’s legal framework on child marriage presented a complex mix of customary and statutory laws. The Marriage Act of 1964 allowed for parental and judicial consent for marriages between the ages of 16 and 21, and customary marriages (marriages performed according to the tribal traditions) had no age restrictions, allowing children of all ages to marry under traditional law.
Zambia sets the marriageable age at 18 without exception for all marriages
Zambia aligns with Congo, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe
1 in 5 girls worldwide marries before they reach the age of 18
Child marriage is now illegal in Zambia, thanks to the new Marriage (Amendment) Act. The landmark amendment, passed in December 2023, defines a child as a “person who has attained, or is below, the age of eighteen years”. It also states that any marriage between persons where either is a child is now void.
“The legislation directly responds to the nation’s urgent challenges, with Zambia witnessing a staggering 1.7 million child brides, 400,000 of whom were married before age 15,” said Sally Ncube, the Regional Representative for Southern Africa at Equality Now, an NGO advocating for the protection and promotion of women’s rights.
Prior to the 2023 amendment, Zambia’s legal framework on child marriage presented a complex mix of customary and statutory laws. The Marriage Act of 1964 allowed for parental and judicial consent for marriages between the ages of 16 and 21, and customary marriages (marriages performed according to the tribal traditions) had no age restrictions, allowing children of all ages to marry under traditional law.
