Poverty and Cultural Practices fueling Child marriages in Kiruhura district in WesternUganda.
Child forced marriages [ CFM] remain a significant challenge in Uganda, with many girls being forced into marriage before the age of 18.Statistics from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) of 2016 indicates that the prevalence of child marriage in Kiruhura district is 34 percent, which was higher than the national average of 27 percent. According to the UDHS, child marriage was more common in rural areas, were poverty and low levels of education persistent. This harmful practice disproportionately affects girls preventing them from living their lives free from all forms of violence. We take a look at Kiruhura district in Western Uganda where we interacted with early marriage survivors, local leaders and organizations advocating for the rights of children. The interaction with the leaders and different stakeholders gave an opportunity to the child rights advocates to clearly understand the drivers behind the rampant cases of child marriages and how they can be minimized.
