ROSC-Fórum da Sociedade Civil para os Direitos da Criança

Published purpose

Mozambique ranks 10th in the world, with 14 percent of young women between the ages of 20 and 24 years married before the age of 15, and 48 percent married before 18 years of age. Early marriages constitute a violation of human rights. The existing fragile legal framework in Mozambique fails to ensure adequate and suitable protection of children and girls, particularly against early marriages. The Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Technologies and Social Media (the Committee) of the Assembly of the Republic (AR) is working in partnership with the Coalition for the Elimination of Early Marriage (CECAP) to address the recommendation to establish a minimum age of marriage at 18 years of age and explicitly prohibiting marriage before 18 years of age, as well as harmonizing laws and reviewing customary practises to avoid early marriage. In December 2017, a "Preliminary Draft Law for Preventing and Combating Early Engagement, Marriage and Unions" was elaborated and it expected to submit the draft law by December 2018. The proposed new law will fill an existing gap in the Mozambican legal and regulatory framework and contribute to advancing women’s rights in Mozambique, particularly with respect to human rights of the girls.