Panos promotes girls’ education as a strategy to end child marriages in Mozambique

Maputo, 23 November 2017: Panos Institute Southern Africa is implementing a campaign that is promoting increased access to girl child education as a strategy to end child marriage in Mozambique.

Supported by Hivos, the Advocating for the girl child education to end child marriage in Mozambique project aims to ensure that the country’s education policies protect girls from child marriage. Under this project, Panos is using various engagement strategies to advocate for access to education as a strategy to end child marriage. The project is stimulating national dialogue and debate to promote education for girls as a way of shielding them from early marriage.

Panos believes that the longer girls are kept in school, the lower their chances of being exposed to child marriage or early sexual debut, and the higher their opportunities for socio-economic development. To that effect, Panos is mobilizing community members into action groups and radio listening clubs to make them aware of the opportunities education can bring on ending child marriage. Through the RLCs and CAGs, Panos is also supporting the community members to be part of a solution towards increased access to education in an effort to end the practice. Through regular community sensitisation meetings, and using community radio platforms, the project will create an interface between community members and other stakeholders such as traditional leaders and decision makers to work together in advocacy for better education for girls. Panos is also supporting investigative media coverage to highlight gaps and promote implementation of education policies, and facilitating interactive radio programmes on community radio stations.

Panos hopes the public sensitisation efforts, as well as community based panel discussions with teachers and traditional leaders will increase awareness on the consequences of child marriage, and promote positive community perceptions and dialogue to end child marriage. It is our hope that this project will contribute to increased girls’ empowerment through education to prevent child marriages.

Issued by:

Lilian Saka Kiefer

Executive Director, Panos Institute Southern Africa,

Email: general@panos.org.zm. Web: www.panos.org.zm.

For more information or to arrange for interviews in Mozambique, contact our Programme Coordinator Adelino Saguate on email adelino@panos.org.zm or jsaguas@hotmail.com, or on mobile +258 84 858 5135.