Concerted efforts needed to end child marriage

DAR ES SALAAM: THE African Union (AU) Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, has called for concerted efforts to end child marriage and protect girls’ rights, stressing the importance of education in enabling them to shape their futures.

Speaking at a conference themed “The Power of the Girl Child: End Child Marriage, Invest in Girls’ Rights,” held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, Ambassador Mulamula said child marriage deprives girls of educational opportunities and limits their ability to determine their future.

She said protecting girls’ rights was a shared responsibility requiring cooperation among the government, parents, community leaders, diplomats and the private sector.

She also urged men and boys to participate in efforts to protect girls and create a safe environment in which they could pursue education, develop their talents and achieve their ambitions.

Investing in girls’ education and rights, she added, was essential for sustainable social and economic development.

At the same conference, Mkuyu Africa Director Juneid Othman urged women and young people to take advantage of investment opportunities and start acquiring assets early to build financial independence and secure their future.

Speaking during the Women in Diplomacy Power Table conference, organised by the South African High Commission in Tanzania, Mr Othman said women’s economic empowerment benefits not only individuals but also families and society.

He noted that cultural beliefs and traditional attitudes in some communities continued to restrict women’s property ownership, particularly land and houses.

He called for a change in mindset and the creation of equal opportunities for women to invest, acquire assets and strengthen their financial security.

Mr Othman said Mkuyu Africa’s Miliki Mali (Own Property) initiative sought to help women and young people acquire houses and plots of land through flexible arrangements designed to make property ownership more acc cessible.

He explained that the initiative’s ownership arrangements could allow individuals to purchase a portion of a multi-storey building and obtain legally recognised ownership documents.

“A building may have 10 floors, but you can purchase and own a portion of that building under the project’s ownership arrangements. You will be provided with legally recognised ownership documents, which will enable you to use the property for residential purposes or rent it out,” he said.

Meanwhile, South African High Commissioner to Tanzania Noluthando Mayende-Malepe urged women and young people to believe in themselves, work hard and seize investment opportunities to improve their economic circumstances.

She said strengthening their financial capacity would enable them to contribute more effectively to community development.

Ms Mayende-Malepe also encouraged them to use social media platforms as learning tools to identify income-generating opportunities online and develop their financial independence.