Child Poverty in Mozambique. A Situation and Trend ... - Unicef

Mozambique, girls aged 15-19 in the poorest 20 per cent of the population are more
likely to be married than girls from the better off quintiles, although the practice
occurs in all economic levels of society (UNICEF 2005a: 36).
This suggests that economic status is a factor in child marriage, but not the sole
motivation. Prevalence of child marriage is also linked to the cultural practices of
specific ethnic groups. For example, Emakua girls are more likely than Cisena girls to
be married before the age of 18, while Xitsonga and Xitswa girls are less so (UNICEF
2005a: 26). In southern Mozambique, the practice of lobolo - the payment of money
in exchange for a bride - is common, and young brides will generally secure a higher
price. In the north, polygamy is still prevalent, and a man may have three or more
wives (INE 2005: 90).
Girl-child marriage is perpetuated for a number of reasons, many of which relate to
traditional gender relations and the values assigned to women and girls in society.
Marriage may reflect the value placed on a girl’s virginity and be regarded by parents
as a means to prevent premarital sexual relations and pregnancy. It may also be
perceived to afford a girl protection from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections. However, studies indicate that the opposite is in fact the case: since
girls tend to marry older men and subsequently to engage in sexual relations more
frequently than their unmarried peers, they are, in fact, at greater risk of infection
(Population Council 2004). Moreover these girls rarely have the power or the
knowledge to negotiate safe sex with their husbands.
Child marriage is not only a serious contravention of a child’s rights in and of itself,
but also seriously compromises a range of other rights for the child. For example,
marriage during adolescence may have serious health implications for a girl. Often
married adolescents receive less information on reproductive health than their
unmarried peers (Haberland et al 2003: 43). As noted, they may also be more
vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. An analysis of DHS
data revealed that in Mozambique only 28 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 who were
married knew how to prevent HIV/AIDS. In contrast, in neighbouring South Africa,
as many as 97 per cent of married girls knew how to prevent the disease (UNICEF
2005a: 37). 69
In addition, adolescent pregnancy and childbirth are associated with poor health
outcomes both for the mother and her children. This is particularly true for very
young first-time mothers (Population Council 2004). Despite the risks associated
with early motherhood, in Mozambique 96 per cent of girls in union have never used
contraception of any kind, the highest level among 23 countries examined by UNICEF
in a recent study (UNICEF 2005a: 37). 70 After childbirth, adolescent mothers may face
significant psychological, emotional and economic pressures. Child marriage is also
associated with a greater likelihood of physical violence or the threat of such violence
(UNICEF 2005a: 22).
International human rights instruments that have been ratified by Mozambique, such
as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child, provide protections relating to child marriage, such as the right
to choose freely a spouse and to enter into marriage only with free and full consent;
to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of children and to have
access to the information, education and means to exercise these rights.
69 Data derived from DHS 1997 for Mozambique and DHS 1998 for South Africa.
70 Data derived from DHS 1997 for Mozambique and various DHS for other countries.
188 CHILDHOOD POVERTY IN MOZAMBIQUE: A SITUATION AND TRENDS ANALYSIS