Namibia home to 64 000 child brides
Thousands married before age of 15
In a country where 40% believe beating their wife is justified, the Namibian girl child faces an uphill battle.
Namibia is home to over 64 000 girls and women who were married in childhood before they were 18 years old.
Meanwhile, 40% believe wife-beating is justified and about 38% have experienced partner violence in the past year.
This according to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund’s (Unicef) recently released statistical country profiles, which allow a closer look at the practice of child marriage around the world. These profiles highlight levels and trends and offer insights into the characteristics of early unions and the lives of child brides.
According to Namibia’s country profile, one in 14 young women were married in childhood in Namibia. Of the 64 000 child brides, a total of 15 500 women and girls were married before 15 in Namibia, it added.
It further pointed out that the most vulnerable populations with regards to this are girls with no education who live in rural areas and come from poor families.
The data indicated that most of the girls who were married before the age of 18 were married to men between five to nine years older than them.
Kavango regions top the list
A 2020 report by the gender ministry on child marriages indicated that the prevalence of child marriage among girls in Namibia is 18.4%, while that for boys is considerably lower at 4.1%.
By region, the highest prevalence of child marriage among girls was reported in the Kavango regions at 39.7%, while Kunene reported 24%, Zambezi 23.8%, Omaheke 23% and Otjozondjupa 22.6%.
The report also stated that the sexual debut for adolescent girls in Namibia is between 12 and 17.
According to Unicef, globally, more than half a billion girls and women alive today were married in childhood. The highest rates of child marriage are found in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where 34% and 28% of young women were married in childhood respectively.
It said recent data indicated that the prevalence of child marriage is generally in decline, but there is substantial heterogeneity in rates of reduction across and within regions and countries, with some high prevalence areas seeing stagnating progress and even increases.
“However, the global burden of child marriage is shifting from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, where levels of child
marriage have declined at a modest rate.”
Even as commitments and interventions on child marriage proliferate, few programmes operate at scale, and the evidence on successful strategies that have been scaled up remains limited, Unicef said.
Furthermore, it is not clear whether programmes always reach the most vulnerable girls or areas that have the
highest prevalence or burden of child marriage, it added.
Meanwhile, 40% believe wife-beating is justified and about 38% have experienced partner violence in the past year.
This according to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund’s (Unicef) recently released statistical country profiles, which allow a closer look at the practice of child marriage around the world. These profiles highlight levels and trends and offer insights into the characteristics of early unions and the lives of child brides.
According to Namibia’s country profile, one in 14 young women were married in childhood in Namibia. Of the 64 000 child brides, a total of 15 500 women and girls were married before 15 in Namibia, it added.
It further pointed out that the most vulnerable populations with regards to this are girls with no education who live in rural areas and come from poor families.
The data indicated that most of the girls who were married before the age of 18 were married to men between five to nine years older than them.
Kavango regions top the list
A 2020 report by the gender ministry on child marriages indicated that the prevalence of child marriage among girls in Namibia is 18.4%, while that for boys is considerably lower at 4.1%.
By region, the highest prevalence of child marriage among girls was reported in the Kavango regions at 39.7%, while Kunene reported 24%, Zambezi 23.8%, Omaheke 23% and Otjozondjupa 22.6%.
The report also stated that the sexual debut for adolescent girls in Namibia is between 12 and 17.
According to Unicef, globally, more than half a billion girls and women alive today were married in childhood. The highest rates of child marriage are found in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where 34% and 28% of young women were married in childhood respectively.
It said recent data indicated that the prevalence of child marriage is generally in decline, but there is substantial heterogeneity in rates of reduction across and within regions and countries, with some high prevalence areas seeing stagnating progress and even increases.
“However, the global burden of child marriage is shifting from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, where levels of child
marriage have declined at a modest rate.”
Even as commitments and interventions on child marriage proliferate, few programmes operate at scale, and the evidence on successful strategies that have been scaled up remains limited, Unicef said.
Furthermore, it is not clear whether programmes always reach the most vulnerable girls or areas that have the
highest prevalence or burden of child marriage, it added.
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