Justine Greening: End child marriage in a generation
Speech by the International Development Secretary pledging that Britain will lead international efforts to end child marriage within a generation.
Thank you for that introduction and for inviting me to speak. I鈥檓 truly honoured and humbled to be with you today at the launch of this important regional symposium on ending child marriage.
I would like to acknowledge the presence and leadership of the First Lady Dr Kaseba, Madame Graca Machel, Ministers Luo and Wina, other ministers present and the leaders of international and local organisations with us tonight.
In particular I would like to recognise the many Chiefs and Chieftanesses present and commend your vital leadership on this issue at the grassroots.
I am told that in Zambia I can now say 鈥渁ll protocols observed鈥� and I will not offend anyone!
I鈥檓 delighted to be here in Zambia for your 50th anniversary year. Since independence, the UK and Zambia have remained firm friends and we continue to be a proud supporter of your development.
In recent years Zambia is a country that has enjoyed impressive economic growth. 1.2 million more children are now in school. Child mortality has fallen by over 40%. And I commend the Zambian Government鈥檚 substantial commitment to scaling up social protection to those living in extreme poverty.
I believe Zambia鈥檚 economic and social development has been underpinned by its political development. Today Zambia is known across Africa as a model of democracy. Zambian people are not only voting in free and fair elections, they have a genuine say in the running of their country.
At the same time we know there are still real development challenges for Zambia to overcome. Zambia is growing fast but it is becoming more unequal. The top 10% of Zambians control over half of national income鈥he bottom 60% share less than 14%. Too many people, especially girls and women, are locked out of the new opportunities that are being created.
For Zambia to move beyond poverty and aid economic growth has to be faster and sustainable growth that creates jobs for everyone鈥hich I know is a huge priority for the Zambian Government which we recognise here in Britain.
We recognise that Zambia鈥檚 growth is in Britain鈥檚 interests as well as yours. And the British High Commission here is working closely with the Zambian government to improve our two countries鈥� business links and promote trade.
Later in the year Britain will be sending two trade missions to Zambia. We are going for growth with you鈥nd I firmly believe that in the future the relationship between our two countries will be based on trade not aid.
Gender equality and development
We all know, another huge development challenge facing Zambia is ensuring that girls and women have a chance to reach their full potential. Despite progress on gender inequality girls and women face discrimination in every aspect of life鈥irls are more likely to drop out of school鈥omen have less access to land, credit, markets and jobs鈥omen remain under-represented in politics.
Ultimately Zambia will not truly develop to its full potential if half its population is locked out from reaching theirs.
And that鈥檚 why this symposium is so important. Child marriage remains in so many countries a really critical symptom of the low status of girls and women鈥nd of the day to day neglect of their rights.
In the past this issue has gone largely unacknowledged and untackled by the development community鈥t鈥檚 been written off as too entrenched, too sensitive and too difficult to focus on.
But that is changing鈥hanging because of the efforts of so many of you here today鈥hanging because we are now seeing girls and women, men and boys, local and national leaders鈥ll speaking out against this harmful practice鈥nd Zambia playing a leading role in this movement.
Today I want to set out why I believe this issue is so important to development鈥nd how the UK will walk down the path of development with Zambia鈥upporting your efforts to end child marriage鈥nd how we want to play a role in bringing together governments, charities, businesses and activists from around to rally a global movement for change.
The scourge of child marriage
To begin with I want to be very clear that child marriage is not a sideline issue鈥t affects about 14 million girls every year. One in three girls in the developing world are married by age 18, and one in nine are married by age 15. Some are as young as eight years old.
And you only have to talk to girls themselves and hear how they feel about it to grasp how wrong this practice is.
Earlier today I spoke to some girls in Misisi compound who have been victims of child marriage. They spoke to me of the hardships and traumas they had experienced and what it was like to live with all the pressures of being a child mother.
What strikes you is that these girls have not just been robbed of a childhood鈥hey鈥檝e been robbed of a future that could have been very different鈥 chance to unlock their full potential.
At the moment too many girls in Zambia, and around the world, reach adolescence and find that their future is already written鈥� it is already mapped out for them. A life without opportunities to get a job or finish an education, to travel or gain different experiences. It is a life that has been mapped out that leaves marriage the only option.
Every girl who is married as a child is a tragedy鈥 tragedy for her but also a tragedy for her children鈥or her country鈥檚 development.
We know that complications of pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death among adolescent girls from the ages of 15 to 19. While the children of child brides are 60% more likely to die before their first birthday than the children of mothers who are over 19.
Child marriage is also closely linked to low levels of economic development鈥irls who marry young are more likely to be poor and stay poor.
Zambia and child marriage
The alternative is so much better鈥irls will make good choices if we let them. They can choose to stay at school, marry later and have fewer children. When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries later, has fewer children鈥nd these children are more educated and healthier.
Delaying marriage and enabling girls to improve their education, health and job opportunities helps to break the cycles of poverty that can pass from generation to generation.
So overcoming the negative impacts of child marriage isn鈥檛 just the right thing to do鈥t鈥檚 in everyone鈥檚 interests鈥ost especially the girls鈥� interests and their children鈥檚 interests.
But we know this isn鈥檛 going to be easy.
In Zambia, the National Child Policy defines children as persons below the age of 18. Yet in reality two in five girl children are married before they are 18. And nearly twice as many girls marrying early in rural areas than in urban.
I know how seriously you are taking this issue鈥nd my speech today is to stand in solidarity with you.
Zambia鈥檚 Minister Luo and her Ministry of Chiefs & Traditional Affairs are showing real leadership鈥ith Zambia one of the first AU countries to launch an ending child marriage campaign. I鈥檝e been so impressed Zambia鈥檚 First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba鈥檚 campaigning efforts which are internationally respected.
There is no single approach to tackling child marriage鈥e can leave no stone unturned in our task of improving girls鈥� lives.
I know it鈥檚 also a huge priority for the Government to address the legal inconsistencies鈥hich Dr Kaseba has highlighted on several occasions 鈥hereby Zambia鈥檚 statutory law prohibits child marriage but customary laws allow it when a children to marry when they reach puberty.
And it is good to see that the Government of Zambia is working collaboratively with a host of ministries including that of Ministry of Gender & Child Development, the Ministry of Community Development Mother & Child Health, the Ministry of Youth & Sports and the Ministry of Justice.
And this is not just about changing laws and closer government working鈥t鈥檚 about changing the attitudes of people and communities around the worth of girls and their contribution to society. And I鈥檓 really impressed by your work with traditional, community leadership on this.
Because ultimately it鈥檚 going to take a real coalition of voices鈥irls and boys, parents, traditional, religious and community leaders, politicians and the international community鈥ll speaking out against this harmful practise of child marriage.
UK Support
The UK is determined to support Zambia鈥檚 efforts鈥nd wider efforts across the world to end child and forced marriage鈥nd we want to play our part in a number of ways.
Firstly, education is fundamental to providing an alternative to marriage鈥nsuring girls have a chance to support themselves and their families through work. And we know parents who let their children go to school are more likely to allow them to get a job afterwards.
Many girls in Zambia, and around the world, are unable to finish school.
That鈥檚 why over the next 3 years the UK has committed over 380million kwacha (拢37.5m) to Zambia鈥檚 education sector, which will help an additional 30,000 girls into primary and secondary school.
After education getting a good job is key to girls鈥� empowerment. We have also committed a further 150million kwacha (拢15m) to support Zambia鈥檚 technical and vocational training system. This will generate almost 13,000 graduates with skills that are relevant to the market place and will offer 1,000 scholarships for under-privileged females, rural youth and disabled learners.
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme that I visited today is also supporting a further 10,000 adolescent girls in rural and urban Zambia to complete their education, delay the age of first pregnancy and increase their life skills including money management. The girls meet weekly with a mentor from their community and follow a tailor made curriculum aimed at increasing their self-esteem, confidence and knowledge of their rights and sexual and reproductive health.
We also recognise that violence against women and girls is a huge problem鈥nd girls who marry earlier are more likely to suffer domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Together with USAID we are working to provide critical response and care services for survivors of gender based violence and to prevent its occurrence in our Stamping Out and Preventing Gender based Violence programme鈥hich operates in 25 districts in Zambia.
This programme also comprises an Ending Child Marriage component鈥here we will work directly with the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, civil society groups and traditional community leaders.
Finally, it鈥檚 clear that teenage pregnancy is both a cause and a consequence of early marriage鈥early a third of 15 to 19 year girls have been pregnant or have a child.
There is a huge demand for family planning methods鈥nd I commend the Zambia Government for their work in this area recently. The UK is also providing 150m kwacha (拢14.8m) of support to this effort to enable an extra 200,000 Zambian women and girls have control over their own fertility.
None of these programmes can by themselves be transformative鈥ut taken together鈥ith the other work going on鈥hey are creating an unstoppable momentum.
And I鈥檓 determined that the UK will scale up our work on child and forced marriage further鈥n particular I want to do more research on what works. So we can make sure every pound, every kwacha is making the biggest difference to girls and women in Zambia.
An international agenda: Girl Summit
We also want to take the momentum in countries like Zambia and help drive tackling child marriage up the global agenda鈥�
Child and forced marriage is an international problem鈥ncluding in Britain where we have recently introduced new legislation to make forced marriage a criminal offence.
And Britain will shortly be hosting a Girl Summit to galvanise international efforts to end child and forced marriage altogether, as well as another harmful practice, female genital mutilation.
This Summit will take place in London on 22 July and we鈥檒l be bringing together governments, NGOs, charities, activists, businesses, young people鈥� to rally a global movement for consigning child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation to the history books everywhere鈥ncluding in Britain.
At the event, co-hosted by UNICEF, we鈥檒l be hearing from girls and women and community leaders about their experiences. We鈥檒l be looking at what programmes have worked and ensuring that we can learn from each other.
And our ambition is to secure a huge range of commitments from governments, businesses and charities鈥� with everyone agreeing a declaration to end child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation in a generation.
I believe we can use this event to be a breakthrough moment for generations of girls and women.
I am very pleased that Zambia will be attending, including Honourable Minister Luo, will attend the Girl Summit, alongside other African heads of state and first ladies. Your testimony will be the fuel that lights the fire of progress for all of us.
Conclusion
Too many girls and women across the globe are still being locked out of progress鈥enied a chance to write their own future.
Child Marriage is one of the clearest examples of this. And that鈥檚 why Zambia and the UK are taking action to end this harmful practise.
There is no one single step that can prevent child marriage. It鈥檚 about getting girls into school and keeping them there. It鈥檚 about ensuring they have access to sexual and reproductive health services. It鈥檚 about giving girls economic opportunities and training. It鈥檚 about working with families and local communities so child marriage is seen as holding girls back from their lives鈥ot an introduction to it.
When all these things happen a better future will open up for girls, and for their countries, and indeed for all of us.
So once again I congratulate Zambia for its leadership on this issue. Thank you for allowing me to take part in this important symposium鈥nd I look forward to welcoming you to our Summit in July.