Using cluster analysis, a study conducted by the Sudan’s National Council for Child Welfare has found out that 38% of the Sudanese women at the age of 20-49 have been married before they reached the age of 18.
Khartoum- Altaghyeer
The Council has revealed in a workshop on child marriage that the study findings were based on the year 2014 indexes.
The Council reviewed it’s 2021-2030 national plan for ending child marriage and coordination mechanisms for eliminating harmful social customs.
Though Sudan is signatory to regional and international agreements and principles that ban child marriage, the custom is still practicd due to some religious and socio economic considerations.
Member of the Council’s Secretariat for Protection Abeer Ali said in the workshop that the percentage of child marriage in Sudan is very high where the cluster survey of the 2014 indexes revealed that 38% of women in the age group 20-49 married before the age of 18, the percentage tend to increase in rural areas.
Child marriage hazards
Ms Ali explained that the girls who marry under the age of 18 face serious physical and psychological problems. Child marriage may cause death and psychological disorders resulting from problems related to pregnancy and child delivery.
She reviewed main elements of the national plan for ending the child marriage which include promotion of the
Child basic rights, elimination of children abuse, provision of social and legal protection against repercussions of child marriage, strengthening methods for collection and sharing of data, coordination between the related sectors and integration of the issue of child marriage in their various programs with participation of the targeted communities.
Call for specifying menimum marriage age
Gezira State, central Sudan, has called for issuing an act specifying the
menimum age for marriage to limit practice of under age marriage.
It further called for provision and smooth exchange of information as well as consolidation of partnership to help implement the community based initiatives for child protection.
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