Save The Children, a non-governmental organization (NGO) for the defense of children's rights, says that a study carried out in 2023 in the districts of Palma and Chiúre, in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, points to an increase of 10%, compared to the previous year, in premature unions associated with poverty and terrorist attacks.

These are the conclusions of a study entitled "Report on Premature Unions in Cabo Delgado", launched yesterday, Wednesday (3), in Maputo, by Save The Children's child protection coordinator, Paula Timane.

During the study carried out in Palma and Chiure, Save The Children worked with minors from the Chiure Children's Parliament, internally displaced people, host communities and those who had returned to their areas of origin.

"I'll start with a warning from the children of the Chiúre Children's Parliament with whom we've been working. In one of the sessions they told us that 'we are worried about the growing number of early pregnancies that we see every day in our schools, streets, neighborhoods, also about the number of dropouts, more children are arriving from other districts as internally displaced persons'," said Timane, quoted by the AIMShe added that socio-economic issues are seen as key factors that lead families to subject girls to early unions.

However, the source stressed that other cases are the result of early pregnancy, as a result of the involvement of two teenagers. "In both districts there are reports of parents deciding to subject their daughters to forced unions, claiming that they will be safer and more protected."

For her part, Canada's High Commissioner, Sara Nicholls, said that Mozambique had made significant progress with the approval of the Law to Prevent and Combat Premature Unions. Even so, "these continue to represent a significant threat to the well-being and future of thousands of girls across the country".

(Photo DR)