Luanda - The President of the National Assembly of Angola, Carolina Cerqueira, defended on Friday in Livingstone, Zambia, the need to redouble efforts, through the review of legislation in line with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) model law, for the prevention and criminalization of early marriages.
In an interview given to the SADC Parliamentary Forum Secretariat Portal, on the issue of early marriage, on the sidelines of the plenary session of the 56th Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Carolina Cerqueira said the phenomenon needs special attention, as it hinders children's psychomotor development and contributes to their social exclusion, forcing them to take on family responsibilities when they are not prepared to do so.
"The National Assembly is aware of this problem and, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Action, Family and Woman Promotion, has developed actions to defend the rights of children through education, entertainment, social inclusion and training, since many of them, especially in rural areas, stop studying very early and become subject to the phenomenon of early marriage," said the speaker.
The Angolan Parliament speaker stated that this should be a continuous action, whose resolution requires the intervention of different ministerial departments, such as Justice and Human Rights, Education, Territorial Administration and Culture, due to the transversal dimension of the phenomenon.
"We have developed an intense advocacy in the National Assembly, which we believe is already yielding positive results, since there is a focus and a great institutional effort to mitigate a worrying phenomenon that puts the future of children at risk," said Cerqueira.
Carolina Cerqueira pointed out that children living in suburban areas affected by poverty, water and energy shortages, with less access to education and training, as well as the heavy burden of traditions and customs that often violate their rights, are identified as a target group that requires monitoring, supervision and continuous education.
The speaker added that the National Assembly will soon receive a consultative study to be carried out in all provinces of Angola, focusing on the need to prevent and increase the penalties for those involved in early marriages, as it is considered a heinous crime against girls.
Carolina Cerqueira emphasized that the National Assembly, at the level of the specialized working committees, especially Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Citizenship and Environment and Family, Childhood and Social Action, has promoted consultation with civil society, training and awareness-raising actions to listen and seek the necessary input on the situation of children who find themselves in these conditions.
"Education, training of girls and criminalization with harsh laws are ways to prevent early marriages in the future," said Carolina Cerqueira, emphasizing the need to implement training programs for young people to enable them to have self-control over their lives and desires, preventing them from being forced to marry to solve social and economic problems.
According to the speaker, with sustainable development and the inclusion of girls in programs that support the 2063 Development Goals and the African Children's Charter, it will be possible to put an end to this phenomenon.
The speaker called on the SADC Member States to continue to work and engage in this struggle as a way of reaffirming their commitment to democracy and the democratic rule of law, while at the same time defending future women leaders in the region.
For the Angolan speaker, this is a joint action that must be taken very seriously to defend the well-being of women on the continent, given that governments have the responsibility to create the conditions for children to have the right to education, health and a childhood with the dignity they deserve.
The Angolan delegation to the 56th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, led by Carolina Cerqueira, is composed of deputies Pedro Sebastião, Ruth Mendes, Diamantino Mussokola and Teresa Neto. ART/AMP
