Programmatic view on ending Child Marriage in times

Programmatic view on ending Child Marriage in times of COVID-19 Uganda, Her Choice Project experiences Gerald Kato Her Choice Project Coordinator, The Hunger Project Uganda

CM Legal context in Uganda: • The legal age of marriage is 18 without exceptions (Children Act 2016) • The 1995 Uganda Constitution defines a child as anyone aged 18 and below. • 55% of Ugandan population is below 18 years & 17% aged between 13 -18 years (UBOS). • In 2015, Go. U launched the National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy. • 40% of girls is still forced to marry before their 18 th birthday, and 1 in 10 before the age of 15.

Unintended consequences of law enforcement… üGirls who claim their right and withdraw or refuse to marriage tend to become very vulnerable, many drop-out or stay out-ofschool because parents hold them responsible to contribute to the family income. üThis increases the chance for girls to be trapped in unsafe situation, which increases their risk of being trapped in in unsafe situation, for example though transactional sex üPerpetrators of child marriage now marry young children and keep them in school. Families which cannot support their children’s education identify suitors who are capable of paying school dues to marry off their daughters. As a result, parents reduce on bride price and then enter an agreement with the potential husband to take back their daughter to school.

üHC project strives to create safe and empowering environment where girls feel supported by their families, school, community & LG, & where joint efforts for sustainable economic improvement are made to provide girls and young women the possibility to choose a better future

Her Choice strategy to tackle unintended consequences…… ü Her Choice project builds capacity & provides support to child mothers, young girls, HIV positive girls and girls heading H/H in marketoriented productive vocational enterprises in areas of agro-business, craft making, tailoring, liquid soap making, basic life skills and entrepreneurship. ü For psychological support, The girls are linked to trained THP women volunteers (animators) at community level

COVID-19 and Child Marriage in Uganda • Adolescent girls are being married in exchange for dowry or bride price – especially in the north and northeast where rates of child marriage are already extremely high. In just one week, 25 new child marriage cases were recorded in Nwoya District • The national “Sauti 116” toll-free child helpline, had to stop for several weeks due to high demand lack of capacity. It is now functioning but has been at reduced capacity (from 08: 00 to 17: 00 six days a week instead of 24/7). • Many of the core support structures for children are now closed. • Restrictions on movement has affected access to services such as family planning, especially in rural areas. This is likely to lead to an increase in the birth of unwanted children, abandonment, unsafe abortions, street children and violence against children.