JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — International advocacy groups called on Southern African nations Monday to accelerate implementation of anti-child marriage laws, warning that current progress could take 200 years to end the harmful practice, writes Winston Mwale.
Speaking at the 58th Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum Plenary Assembly, Equality Now said resource constraints, climate emergencies and legal gaps continue undermining protections for women and girls across the region.
“Legal clarity without implementation is rhetoric. Survivors demand action,” the organization said in remarks delivered to the joint standing committee session.
UNICEF projects that at the current pace, eliminating child marriage regionwide could take two centuries, according to Equality Now’s presentation.
The forum is launching two policy briefs this week addressing protection for girls already in marriage and emerging threats, including climate change, migration and economic shocks.
A third brief examining technology-facilitated gender-based violence, sex trafficking and sexual exploitation is forthcoming.
The advocacy group said the SADC Parliamentary Forum has been “a global leader” in shaping model legal frameworks, including model laws on gender-based violence and child marriage that guide member states in aligning domestic legislation with regional and international human rights standards.
Since 2023, Equality Now has collaborated with the U.N. Population Fund and SADC Parliamentary Forum to produce policy briefs highlighting gaps in law implementation and enforcement strategies.
Forty stakeholders from seven member states convened Aug. 15 at the SADC People’s Summit and issued recommendations calling for legal harmonization, survivor protection services, multisectoral coordination and increased investment in education.
The recommendations also urged parliaments to establish permanent subcommittees on ending child marriage to sustain political will and accountability.
Youth leaders and policymakers from 11 countries issued additional recommendations Aug. 16 at the Southern Africa Youth Forum, calling on member states to close the digital divide and protect rights online.
The forum warned that technology-facilitated gender-based violence is a growing threat, with traffickers exploiting digital platforms to recruit and coerce women and girls.
“Although a digital divide persists, women and girls bear disproportionate harm,” Equality Now said.
The year 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and nine years since adoption of the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage.
The organisation urged member states to accelerate domestication of SADC model laws, strengthen parliamentary monitoring mechanisms, allocate adequate budgets for survivor-centred services and enhance cross-border cooperation on technology-facilitated gender-based violence and sex trafficking.
“Political will, community ownership and sustained funding are non-negotiable prerequisites for success,” Equality Now said.
