National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage in Zambia (2016-2021)

Developed across ministries, in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, civil society organizations and other key stakeholders, the Zambia National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage (2016-2021) aims to achieve “a Zambia free from child marriage by 2030.”

Zambia has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world with 42% of girls in Zambia married before the age of 18, a rate that has not evolved since 2002.

The Strategy is aimed at accelerating national efforts to end child marriage by 2030 through the implementation of a multi-sectoral operational framework that reflects current national and global trends and efforts, including Zambia’s campaign to end child marriage launched in 2013.

The strategic objectives are:

• To strengthen multi-sectoral responses in order to reduce children’s vulnerability to marriage.
• To facilitate the development and review of policies and legislation in order to ensure a consistent approach to protecting child rights and promoting their well-being.
• To raise awareness on the dangers and effects of child marriage in order to foster change in attitudes, behaviors, beliefs and practices that perpetuate child marriage.
• To facilitate the provision of child sensitive services in order to reduce children’s vulnerability to child marriage.
• To facilitate the provision of child sensitive services (including adolescent sexual and reproductive health) in order to reduce children’s vulnerability to child marriage.
• To effectively mobilize financial resources in order to enable implementation of programmes aimed at reducing children’s vulnerability to marriage.