In Uganda, 8.9 million girls aged 10–19 are at risk of harmful practices, including child marriage despite the legal provisions under the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and the global community’s pledge to end child marriage and other forms of violence against girls (UNFPA, UNICEF 2019). The practice of child marriage continues to affect nearly half of all girl-children in Uganda with districts in Busoga, Acholi, Bunyoro and Tooro regions having high levels of child marriages (UNFPA 2020; UBOS 2019). The practice of child marriage was exacerbated by the two years of school closure as UNESCO (2021) projections show that school closure increased the risk of child marriage by 25 per cent per annum.
Education is widely considered to be one of the most important factors in delaying the age of marriage for girls. In developing countries evidence shows that the more education a girl receive, the less likely she is to be marriage before the age of 18 and more likely she is to delay pregnancy and child birth.
A World Bank study (2017) shows that an extra year of primary school education boosts girls’ future wages by 10–20 per cent and an extra year of secondary school adds 15–25 percent. Nearly 1,000,000 child marriages could be prevented by 2030 if all girls in Uganda finished secondary school education (Save the Children 2018). Schools do not only provide education but also allow young women to develop social skills and networks; and provide them with support systems enabling them to be mobile and participate in community activities (Tabither G. et al 2016). While education alone cannot end child marriage and teenage pregnancy, it is a critical building block in ending the abusive practices.
All girls have a right to quality education, one which does not reinforce gender stereotypes but rather relevant to their needs and aspirations and promotes gender equality and human rights. Learning in a safe and supportive environment enables girls to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to claim their rights. It gives them the chance to reach their full potential and assert their autonomy, helping them to make free and informed decisions about their life , including whether , when, who to marry , along with decisions affecting their sexual reproductive health.
The costs associated with schools push many girls into marriage, child bearing and domestic duties at a young age. They drop out at the very time when education could guide them through the vulnerable period of adolescence.
The negative impact of child marriage may also be felt by the next generation. The children of young mothers who have had no or little education are less likely to survive infancy, to have a good start to their education, to do well in school or continue beyond minimum levels of education. Daughters of uneducated mothers are especially likely to drop out of school, marry young and begin the cycle of poverty again.
We call on government and communities to:
- Take concerted action to develop and implement integrated and comprehensive action plains with participation for girls and boys , their families to end child marriage
- Improve girl’s access to and experience quality primary and secondary education as one of the best means to end child marriage and to enable girls to have choices and opportunities and to develop to their full potential.
- Include comprehensive, age appropriate sexual and reproductive health and rights education in school curriculums
- Provide opportunities for girls and women to access vocational training and develop skills to enable them secure their livelihood
- Tackle all forms of violence in and around schools, including increasing safety in schools ,operationalizing the teachers code of conduct , child friendly report and support mechanisms to respond to violence
Data sources
National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancies 2022/23 – 2026/27
A girls right to say no to marriage report by Plan International published in 2013
