AT least 28 underage girls in West District in Unguja have been forced into marriage during the past two years, drawing criticism from women groups and activists in the Isles.
Some parents claimed that forcing girls into early marriage aimed at reducing pregnancy outside wedlock, but women groups and community leaders argue that allowing girls under 17 to get married “is morally and socially unacceptable.” Recent research findings in Bumbwisudi, Dole, Kianga, Mwanakwerekwe, Pangawe and Melinne areas showed that most victims in underage marriages were students who were consequently forced out of school.
Statistically, underage marriages seem to be dropping due to increasing awareness and the chance for pregnant students now to go back to schools after giving birth.
