Statement of Patrizia DiGiovanni, Representative a.i. On the occasion of the National Launch of the AU- Ending Child Marriage Campaign

Transcription

1 Statement of Patrizia DiGiovanni, Representative a.i. On the occasion of the National Launch of the AU- Ending Child Marriage Campaign African Union Commission 25 November 2014, 09:00 Excellency Minister of Women Children and Youth Affairs, Zenebu Tadesse Excellency Ambassador of Canada to Ethiopia, David Usher Excellency Commissioner of the Social Affairs of AU, Dr.Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, Representatives of the Regional States Representatives of UN Agencies Development partners Our media partners Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen I am honoured to be here with you on this important day. Today will be a milestone in Ethiopian history. We are here for the Ethiopian launch of the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa. I would like to commend the Government of Ethiopia for being among the first member states to launch the campaign nationally. The Government of Ethiopia has already made a strong commitment earlier this year in July at the London Girl s Summit, to be leading the charge to end harmful practices of the child, forced and early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting (FGM/C) by This launch resonates the government s dedication to become the lead for African countries to end child marriage not only in Ethiopia but on the continent altogether. I also wish to thank the African Union for their strong leadership to Ending Harmful Practices, with a focus on Child Marriage and FGM/C. The fact that the Ethiopian launch is taking place at the AU premises is a strong symbol of its leadership. 1

2 You might recall that The AU launched its Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa at the Opening Session of the 4 th AU Conference of Ministers of Social Development (CAMSD4) in Addis Ababa in May this year. You will recall that the theme of the conference was Strengthening African Families and Communities. In that spirit, to advance the goal of Strengthening Families and Communities, the Campaign provides an important opportunity to put child marriage high on the agendas of member States, in ten countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone and Zambia).The global momentum on child marriage is mirrored by a strong commitment from the African Union and the Ethiopian government. Launching of this campaign on November 25 th, the beginning date of the sixteen days of activism to end violence against women, shows that the country is serious about addressing child marriage as a gender based violence issue. Child marriage and other harmful traditional practices- linked to gender based violence- deny a staggering number of girls the right to live healthy, fulfilling lives free from violence and discrimination. We need to work together to promote peace and harmony within households, within the extended families and in the entire community. Ending Child Marriage contributes to this goal. As we launch this national campaign today, I would like to highlight three key points for the successful implementation of interventions to end child marriage in Ethiopia. First, we must ensure girls and women have equal rights as boys and men to determine their future in every aspect of their life. When a girl becomes a child bride, her rights, and thus the rights of every girl and woman across her society, are cruelly devalued. The children of adolescent girls are at a heightened risk of exposure to domestic violence. Girls and boys who witness violence in childhood may carry this violence into adulthood as either victims or perpetrators. A girl and also a boy, who is married as a child is more likely to be out of school. Girls are also at higher risk of experiencing domestic abuse and contracting sexually transmitted infections. This will deprive her from participating in various opportunities and developing herself, which will lead to low representation in various walks of life. Most importantly, she will not reach her full potential. In Ethiopia the national prevalence rate of child marriage is 21 per cent with the highest rate of 48 per cent in Amhara region followed by Tigray 34 per cent and Benishangul-Gumuz 32 per cent. 1 This means that for every 100 girls born in Amhara around half of them will end up as child brides. THIS 1 EGLDAM Follow- up Survey of

3 IS TOO MANY. These girls will have children when they are children themselves. They are far more likely to die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth than girls who give birth in their twenties. We, all of us, must educate men and women alike and change gender stereotypes, attitudes and beliefs that excuse violence and harmful customs like child marriage. UNICEF has a strategic partnership with religious leaders, forums, networks and umbrella organizations. Through concerted effort we must support girl empowerment initiatives and campaigns to change social norms and strive to end harmful acts which are embedded in our communities. Second, addressing child marriage can contribute to economic development and achieving of MDG goals. To address child marriage we need to first understand its root causes. In Ethiopia the main causes include lack of economic and social opportunities and lack of services that address the needs of adolescent girls. This is often a result of the low value placed on girls and women by families and communities. By investing to tackle these issues we will not only reduce the costs incurred to mitigate the impact of child marriage like treating fistula and other health challenges but also increase the realization of MDG3 on gender equality and women s empowerment. Improving MDG3, which is cross-cutting, contributes to the realization of all the other MDGs will in turn affect the achievement of all MDG goals. This indicates the need for a multi-sectoral approach in terms of health, nutrition water and sanitation education, protection and economic provision for empowering girls and women. When we join hands to eliminate practices that keep girls trapped in poverty, we will be one step closer to bringing Ethiopia to become a middle income country by the year If every Ethiopian girl who drops out of school was instead able to finish her education it would add US$4 billion to the country s economy over the course of her lifetime. If every Ethiopian girl completed secondary school, it would add US$646 million to the economy every year. If she delayed pregnancy until she was an adult, the Ethiopian economy would gain 15 per cent GDP over her lifetime. 2 Ending child marriage will have a multiple benefits to the girl, her family, community as well as the country. Therefore, there is a need for more direct investment to expand girl s access to education and health care. Third, we need to build the momentum of the commitment to end child, forced and early marriage and FGM/C by 2025 through concrete and measurable actions. The current initiative to strengthen the coordination mechanisms like the National Alliance to End Child Marriage and the FGM/C network offers opportunities which allows better collaboration and achieve meaningful results. The government, and its development partners should continue to engage all key actors including 2 Chabaan and Cunningham

4 religious leaders, Women Development Armies (WDA), men and boys to end the practice of child marriage. UNICEF reiterated its commitment at the highest level to this campaign through a statement delivered by Deputy Executive Director Martin Mogwanja at the African Union Conference of Minister of Social Development which took place on the May, in Addis Ababa. Concretely, UNICEF has committed to facilitate the provision of support to the following activities within the first two 2 years of the Campaign: A regional consultative and partners meeting on child marriage with Regional Economic Commissions and partners; The launch of the Campaign in 5 selected countries initially including Ethiopia; The publication of policy documents and materials for the campaign; Technical support to the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system; Support to Member States on the development of costed plans This is an addition to supporting on the ground ACTION including supporting health interventions, including during pregnancies, education for girls, services to prevent and treat violence against girls and community based intervention to prevent child marriage. UNICEF Ethiopia, with UNFPA and the rest of the UN family, as well as other development partners especially Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and the EU who have already demonstrated support, stands ready to continue support the Government of Ethiopia in meeting the commitments made at the July London Girls Summit to eliminate both Early Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting by UNICEF will continue to scale up programmes and interventions which have proven to have a positive impact on girls and women empowerment. We will ensure that our interventions deliver concrete results through proper monitoring and evaluation systems. Finally, let us use this occasion to recommit ourselves to empowering adolescent girls through our plans, actions, interventions and partnerships and meet the deadline we set to end harmful traditional practices. Ladies and Gentlemen, we should not forget: 4

5 Girls and women are not just victims, they are agents of change and equal partners in ending child, forced and early marriage. They need to be part of the solution. They have the right and the ability to contribute to their own futures, the services they receive and are part of. We need to remember they are not the objects of our discussions here, but active leaders and participants to eliminate violence against girls and women and ending child marriage and other traditional practices. I thank you. 5