Henceforth, it is illegal for girls and boys who
are younger than 18 to marry in Tanzania and
Gambia as both countries have outlawed child
marriage. In a landmark decision, the Tanzanian
High Court on Friday, July 8, ruled in favour of
protecting girls from the harms of early
marriage.
The court ruled unconstitutional section 13 and
17 of the 1971 Tanzania Law of Marriage Act,
which allows girls to marry at age 15 with
parental permission and at age 14 with the
permission of a court.
In Tanzania, where the rate of child marriage is
around 37 per cent – one of the highest in the
world – the move represents a “critical step
forward” according to Human Rights Watch. In
Gambia, where around 30 per cent of girls are
married underage, President Yahya Jammeh
announced on Wednesday, July 6:
“As from today, child marriage below 18
years is illegal in the Gambia…If you want to
know whether what I am saying is true or
not, try it tomorrow and see.”
His wife, Madam Zineb Jammeh, has also
voiced her strong support for banning child
marriage.
“We can’t afford to allow child marriage to
hold back our beautiful girls any longer,” she
said in June. “Eliminating child marriages
should be our priority, to allow young girls to
develop and contribute to development
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