The Tanzania Ending Child Marriage Network has committed to sustained advocacy for legal reform to raise the minimum marriage age for girls to 18, challenging provisions in the 1977 Law of Marriage Act that currently permit marriage below this age with court approval, in some cases as early as 14.
This push was outlined during a youth forum in Dar es Salaam focused on child marriage and girls’ education. Irene Ernest, Programme and MEAL Coordinator for the Children’s Dignity Forum, a network member, stated that changing the marriage law and shifting societal mindsets are both essential to protect girls and benefit the nation. “The law still allows a girl to be married below the age of 18. As a network, we will continue advocating for policy reforms to ensure the marriage law is changed, while also raising public awareness on the harmful effects of this practice,” she said.
The network’s strategy includes engaging influential religious and traditional leaders, whose attitudes often shape community acceptance of child marriage. Advocate Irene Nambuo, the network’s Coordinator, emphasized that marriage entails responsibilities requiring physical and mental maturity incompatible with childhood. “Let us be honest, marriage comes with responsibilities. How can you assign such responsibilities to a child who is supposed to play and go to school?” she asked.
Nambuo added that child marriage fosters dependency, burdens government resources, and perpetuates poverty cycles. To directly involve affected youth, the network convened a forum for individuals aged 14 to 24. “Our goal is to end child marriage. We have been advocating on this issue as stakeholders, but now we have decided to involve the affected groups themselves to gather their views and see how best to present them to decision-makers,” she explained.
The forum also highlights the link between child marriage and educational exclusion. “We have realised that many girls who marry early are those not in the education system. That is why we decided to create a special forum to promote the importance of education for the girl child,” Nambuo noted.
Reports indicate that a significant number of Tanzanian girls marry before 18, with prevalence notably higher in rural areas than urban settings. Drivers include entrenched cultural norms, traditional practices, and economic pressures. By combining legal advocacy, community engagement, and youth empowerment, the network aims to address these root causes and advance a national strategy to eliminate child marriage, framing it as critical for sustainable development and poverty reduction.
