AFRICA/CAMEROON - Women and girls rebel against forced marriage

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Maroua (Agenzia Fides) - "Aldepa" is an association of women which was established in the northern region of Cameroon, where the phenomenon of child marriage is widespread, and deals with the protection of the victims involved in this 'trafficking'. It provides legal assistance to mothers of teenage girls and pay the school fee for 87 of them who have been redeemed by early marriage. The culture of the mafa and Kapsiki tribes marry girls in exchange of a dowry, payment in money, cattle or other products. To marry one’s own daughter in Cameroon is therefore part of a strategy to make money. In the Country almost one in three of the 22 million inhabitants are poor. In Cameroon, the minimum legal age for marriage is 15 for girls and 18 for boys.
Currently there are many NGOs, communities and religious leaders involved in the rural areas for the education of the population. They organize campaigns against early marriage and also give refuge to many victims. According to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), in Central Africa, 71% of small brides come from poor families. Data from the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), in 2014, reveal that 31% of adolescents in the northern region are given in marriage. The phenomenon is widespread in other Countries in the world. The worst country is Niger: 75% of minors get married, followed by Chad, with 72%, and Guinea, with 63%. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 17/06/2015)


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