Motherhood in Childhood

(“Open Opportunities”), established communitybased
girls clubs and safe spaces where girls could
come together, gain life and leadership skills and
build social networks. As a result of the initiative,
100 per cent of participating girls completed sixth
grade, compared with 81.5 per cent of all girls
nationwide. Seventy-two per cent of the girls in
the programme were still in school at the end
of the two-year programme, compared to 53
per cent of all indigenous girls nationwide.
An evaluation showed that 97 per cent of the
programme’s participants remained childless, compared
with the national average of 78.2 per cent
for girls ages 15 to 19 (Segeplan, 2010). Since
then, the programme has expanded to more than
40 communities and has reached more than 3,500
indigenous girls. The programme now offers separate
services for girls between the ages of eight and
12 and those between the ages of 13 and 18, with
each group benefiting from age-specific services.
In many developing countries, adolescent
pregnancy occurs mainly within child marriage.
Eighteen is the minimum legal age for marriage
for women without parental consent in 158 countries
(UNFPA, 2012). However, in 146 countries,
state or customary law allows girls younger than
18 to marry with the consent of parents or other
authorities; in 52 countries, girls under age 15
can marry with parental consent.
Laws are important but are infrequently
enforced. A recent UNICEF paper reported, for
example, that in India, where 47 per cent of girls
are married before 18, only 11 people were convicted
of perpetuating children marriage in 2010,
despite a law forbidding it (UNICEF, 2011a).
Because of the challenges in enacting and
enforcing laws, some governments are taking
other measures that empower girls at risk of child
marriage through, for example, life-skills training,
provision of safe spaces for girls to discuss
their futures, the provision of information about
their options, and the development of support
networks. Such interventions seek to equip girls
with knowledge and skills in areas relevant to
their lives, including sexual and reproductive
health, nutrition, and their rights under the law.
Girls are empowered when they are able to learn
skills that help them to develop a livelihood,
communicate better, and negotiate and make
decisions that directly affect their lives. Safe
spaces and the support they offer help girls
overcome their social isolation, interact with
peers and mentors, and assess alternatives to
marriage (UNFPA, 2012).
An example of such a programme is Berhane
Hewan, a two-year programme in Ethiopia
that began in 2004. The Berhane Hewan
programme set out to protect girls from forced
t Life-skills class,
Ethiopia.
© Mark Tuschman/
Planned Parenthood
Global
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