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Champions to End Child Marriage in Africa
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Champions leading to end child marriage in Africa

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Portrait of Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni speaking people in Chipata, in the Eastern Mwenda Chikankata of the Eastern Province of Zambia.

Retrieving young girls from forced marriages remains a large problem in the Eastern Province, said Chief Madzimawe, but even more troubling is the lack of “safe houses” to bring them to once they’ve been rescued.

As an example, the chief noted that in October 2015, his own mother gave shelter to a young escaped bride because she had nowhere else to go. He said he’d like to see community-run shelters established in every sub-district, where girls could find a safe haven and receive counseling.

“They need counseling so that they are integrated back into the community fully counseled, and they are not going to feel as if they are different species from another planet,” he said.

If you send them back to their families “haunted by household poverty,” nothing will change, he said.

For a portrait series on champions leading to end child marriage in Africa. All images made at the first-ever African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage, held in Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting aimed to facilitate exchange of good practices and challenges in ending child marriage, and to secure and renew commitments from African stakeholders.

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Stephanie Sinclair
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www.stephaniesinclair.com
Portrait of Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni speaking people in Chipata, in the Eastern Mwenda Chikankata of the Eastern Province of Zambia.<br /> <br /> Retrieving young girls from forced marriages remains a large problem in the Eastern Province, said Chief Madzimawe, but even more troubling is the lack of “safe houses” to bring them to once they’ve been rescued.<br /> <br /> As an example, the chief noted that in October 2015, his own mother gave shelter to a young escaped bride because she had nowhere else to go. He said he’d like to see community-run shelters established in every sub-district, where girls could find a safe haven and receive counseling.<br /> <br /> “They need counseling so that they are integrated back into the community fully counseled, and they are not going to feel as if they are different species from another planet,” he said.<br /> <br /> If you send them back to their families “haunted by household poverty,” nothing will change, he said.<br /> <br /> For a portrait series on champions leading to end child marriage in Africa. All images made at the first-ever African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage, held in Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting aimed to facilitate exchange of good practices and challenges in ending child marriage, and to secure and renew commitments from African stakeholders.