Early marriages pose risk of HIV/AIDS - UNFPA

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INNOCENT-THE BLOGGER-BOY

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA

 The girls who were married at the age of under 18 years are more likely to die from birth complications and be infected with HIV/AIDs than women in 20s because they are married to older and more sexually experienced men.

 

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that over the next ten years more than 140 million girls will be married before their 18th birthday.

 

According to the report, if the present trends continue, 1,382,000 of the young girls born between 2005 and 2010 will be married/in union before age 18 by 2030.

 

This was divulged over the weekend by the non-government organization C-Sema’s child protection and outreach coordinator, Michael Kehongoh during the “Nijali Media Dialogue” as part of the activities to celebrate the Week of the African Child, in Dar es Salaam.

 

In giving a country status in child marriage, he said “Girls who marry older men are difficult to negotiate safe sexual behaviours, especially when under pressure to bear children…and due to give birth before their bodies are fully developed they are at a risk of death or terrible injury and illness in childbirth”.

 

He added that child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated, poorest and who are living in the rural areas, education is associated with child marriage in Tanzania.

 

Kehongoh said the report of Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010 shows 61 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 with no education and 39 per cent with primary school education were married or in union at 18 years, compared to five per cent of women with secondary education.

 

Speaking on the Nijali Dialogues SOS Children's Villages Tanzania’s National Advocacy Coordinator, John Batista said the Nijali campaign which will run for two years is an extension of the SOS Global campaign “Care for me!" in the Tanzanian context funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation.

 

“This initiative intends to advocate for implementation of the budget set aside for children specifically in ensuring that the Department of Social Welfare is funded, and that social welfare officers’ capacity to handle children issues is strengthened, and that budget for health, education and general children services is observed,” he said.

 

He said the campaign aims to ensure children throughout Tanzania have access to services by advocating for resource allocation for children services by local government offices through dialoques in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.