MAPPING EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST AFRICA A SCAN OF TRENDS, INTERVENTIONS, WHAT WORKS, BEST PRACTICES AND THE WAY FORWARD BeNIN LIBERIA BURKINA FASO MALI CAPE VERDE MAURITANIA CHAD NIGER COTE d’IvOIRE NIGERIA GAMBIA SeNEGAL GHANA SIERRA LeONE GUINEA TOGO SePTEMBER 2013 A STUDY SUBMITTED TO THE FORD FOUNDATION, WEST AFRICA OFFICE Marriage West Africa Report 2013.indd 1 9/19/13 9:08 AM MAPPING EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST AFRICA September 2013 Research Team This study mapping early marriage in West Africa is the product of two years of discovery and learning by a team of development researchers. The result is not only an exhaustive report on the current status of the problem and efforts to combat it, but also an important model for future studies in other areas of the world where the practice persists. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Principal Researcher and Author: Judith-Ann Walker One valuable aspect of this study is that it surveys a wide region where few studies on child marriage have occurred in the recent past. It examines trends in the practice over 12 years in 16 countries, providing The Author, Judith-Ann Walker is a founding member With: Sarah Mukisa, Yahaya Hashim and Hadiza and Director of the development Research and Projects Ismail readers with a broad and comparative understanding of the issue. Another major contribution is the Centre (dRPC). Born in the Republic of Trinidad Editor: Joanne Omang thought-provoking list of best practices and lessons learned that emerged from the researchers’ scrutiny and Tobago, Judith-Ann has lived and worked as a of existing interventions and evaluations. The report also acknowledges its own gaps and limitations, development practitioner in Northern Nigeria for the making clear the need to monitor, evaluate and learn from the various strategies to end child marriage past 20 years. She holds a PhD in Development Studies Field Investigators and highlighting the important role research can play in uniting efforts across diverse fields affected from the International Institute of Social Studies, by the issue. Erasmus University, Rotterdam. She is an ASHOKA Benin Akimi Yessoufou Innovator and is currently an Echidna Guest Scholar Burkina Faso Bagre W. Olivier at the Centre for Universal Education, Brookings Burkina Faso Jeremie Compaore The study is relevant for a range of stakeholders. Impact investors will benefit from the report’s suggestions Institution. The dRPC is a non-profit third sector think Chad Seid Sultan Ali for how to support civil society organizations and hold governments at regional and national levels tank which utilizes participatory approaches to mobilize Chad Emmanuel D’nalbaye accountable for ending child marriage. Government and regional bodies will find much to consider indigenous knowledge on development issues and in the study’s detailed menu of recommendations for measures against child marriage at three levels: problems impacting negatively on the lives of women Cote d’Ivoire Seri Jean Jacques law and rights; policy and institutions; and projects and actions. and children in particular. The small `d’ in the dRPC Gambia Nurudeen Bar reflects the founders’ commitment to the software of Ghana Stephen Afranie For the Ford Foundation, this report is a crucial step forward in our efforts to end child marriage and development. Guinea Nounkoumba S.Y an example of how our valued partnerships with organizations around the world are critical to helping Special thanks to Margaret Hempel and Friday Liberia James Y Sumo empower women everywhere to control their reproductive health and claim their full human rights. Okonofua at the Ford Foundation for their Mali Aisse Diarra encouragement and support; to Kathy Bonk and the Mauritania Elkhalil M Abdellahi Communications Consortium Media Center, Bremmer Niger Mariama Amadou & Goris Communications, photographer Robin Wyatt, Margaret Hempel Friday Okonofua Niger Roufai Ali and to photographer Stephanie Sinclair for select Director Program Officer photographs and her special work, Too Young To Wed. Nigeria Aminu Hassan Gamawa Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights Youth Sexuality, Reproductive Health and Rights Initiative Senegal Mada Lucienne Tandeng development Research and Project Centre Ford Foundation, New York Ford Foundation, Lagos 63 B Sultan Road Sierra Leone Alpha Banga Kargbo Nassarawa GRA, Kano State, Nigeria Togo Adamou Moussa [email protected] fordfoundation.org 1 2 Marriage West Africa Report 2013.indd 1-2 9/19/13 9:08 AM MAPPING EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST AFRICA TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents 5 • List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 6 • List of Tables and Figures 8 • Executive Summary 16 • Section 1: Ending Early Marriage in West Africa - Where are We Now? 20 • Section 2: The Context of Development and Under-development 24 • Section 3: Trend Analysis of Early Marriage in West Africa (2000-2012) 36 • Section 4: Trends in Early Marriage in West Africa: A Comparison With Photo credit: Stephanie Sinclair Hotspots in Africa and South Asia 40 • Section 5: Interventions to End Early Marriage in West Africa 48 • Section 6: What is Working (The Best and Most Promising Practices) and What can be Improved? What do Evaluations Tell Us? 54 • Section 7: Recommendations and the Way Forward 57 • End Notes 59 • References 62 • Appendix 1: Research Deliverables Expected Versus Research Deliverables Received 3 4 Marriage West Africa Report 2013.indd 3-4 9/19/13 9:08 AM MAPPING EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST AFRICA LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES List of Acronyms and Abbreviations List of Tables and Figures ACERWC African Committee of Experts on the ICASA International Conference Tables Figures Rights and Welfare of the Child on HIV/AIDS in Africa ACPF African Child Policy Forum ICRW International Centre for Table 2.0: Socioeconomic profile of ECOWAS countries and Chad Figure 1.0: Summary of recommendations to end early marriage in West Research on Women Africa ACRWC African Charter on the Rights Table 2.1: Currently married girls aged 15-19 years and Welfare of the Child IRIN Integrated Regional Table 3.0: Trends in age of marriage Figure 3.0: Trends in age of marriage in West Africa 2000-2010 Information Networks Ambassadors Girls AGSP Table 3.1: Classification of countries by changes in age of marriage Figure 3.1: Percentage of females aged 15-19 years who are currently Scholarship Program LEAP Livelihood Empowerment married 2000-11 Against Poverty between 2000-2011 Action Health Incorporated AHI Figure 3.2: Percent married and those in polygamous unions aged 15-19 LFPR Labour Force Participation Rate Table 3.2: Females aged 15-19 currently married AHIP Adolescent Health Information Project Figure 3.3: Trends in female primary school completion rates (%) in MGD Millennium Development Goals Table 3.3: Total population of currently married women aged 15-19 as AIDS Acquired Immuno- selected countries 2000-11 Deficiency Syndrome MOU Memorandum of Understanding at 2009 Figure 3.4: Regional variations in age of marriage, Ghana ANPPCAN African Network for the Prevention NDHS National Demographic Health Survey Table 3.4: Changes in female labour force participation rates by age of and Protection against Child marriage 2000-11 Figure 3.5: Regional variations in age of marriage, Niger NGO Non-Governmental Organization Abuse and Neglect Table 3.5: Trends in female primary school completion rates & age of Figure 3.6: Regional variations in age of marriage, Mali NNHRI-WA Network of National Human Rights AU African Union Institutions in West Africa marriage 2000-11 Figure 3.7: Regional variations in age of marriage, Cape Verde CAGE Community Action for Girls Education NORAD Norwegian Agency for Table 3.6 Percent of population living in urban areas 2000-11 Figure 4.0: Child brides in South Asia & sub-Saharan Africa CCTs Conditional Cash Transfers Development Corporation Table 4.0 Regional declines in rates of early marriages, 2012 Figure 4.1: Regional variations in % of women aged 20-24 who were COMPASS Community Participation for RH Reproductive Health Table 6.0 Evaluation reports of interventions to end early marriage married Action in the Social Sector SMAM Singulate Mean Age at Marriage Figure 4.2: % of women aged 20-24 who were first married or in union CSOs Civil Society Organizations TEGINT Transforming Education for by aged 15 in Africa CS Forum Civil Society-Forum Girls in Nigeria and Tanzania Figure 4.3: % of women 20-24 who were first married or in union below DAC Day of the African Child TFRs Total Fertility Rates 15 and below 18 in global south dRPC development Research TVET Technical and Vocational and Projects Centre Education and Training Figure 4.4: Maternal mortality rates in selected countries with highest child marriage rates ECOWAS Economic Community of UN United Nations West African States Figure 4.5: Contraceptive prevalence in some countries with high child UNFPA United Nations Population Fund FAWE Forum for African Women marriages rates UNGEI United Nations Girls’ Educationists Education Initiative Figure 4.6: High adolescent fertility rates in selected countries FGC Female Genital Cutting UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund Figure 5.0: Strategies used by programs to end early marriage FIDA International Federation USAID United States Agency for Figure 5.1: Number of programs by countries of Women Lawyers International Development Figure 5.2: Programs that cover multiple countries FORWARD Forum on Marriage and the VVF Vesico-vaginal fistula Rights of Women and Girls Figure 5.3: Reduction of child marriages as an objective of the program WACSOF West Africa CSO Forum FOMWAN Federation of Muslim Women Figure 5.4: Integrated vs. single strategy interventions Associations of Nigeria WHO World Health Organization Figure 5.5: Education interventions and integration points GNI Gross National Income Figure 5.6: Community mobilization and advocacy programs and integration points Figure 5.7: Fistula interventions and integration points 5 6 Marriage West Africa Report 2013.indd 5-6 9/19/13 9:08 AM MAPPING EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST AFRICA EXECUTIVE SUmmARY Executive Summary The harmful traditional practice of child marriage The Current Situation persists worldwide.