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Tanzania court upholds law banning child marriage
NAIROBI, Oct 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A Tanzanian court has upheld a law
banning the marriage of girls under the age of 18 in a ruling praised by
rights activists.
The High Court in 2016 ruled that laws allowing girls as young as 15 to be
married with the permission of their parents, or even 14 with the permission
of a court, were unconstitutional and discriminatory.
However, the state had appealed the ruling.
“We reject this appeal as it has no foundation,” the appeals court judges
wrote in their ruling on Wednesday.
In an initial ruling the court found the current law discriminatory, as the
legal age for men to marry is 18, and said it was contradictory that a girl
considered too young to vote would be allowed to marry.
“It is a great day for Tanzanian girls,” the NGO Wasichana Initiative,
which fights for the rights of young girls, wrote on Twitter.
“It is a joyful day for all girls and all those who want what is best for
them,” said Anna Henga of Tanzania’s main rights group, the Legal and Human
Rights Centre (LHRC).
On average, two out of five Tanzanian girls are married before their 18th
birthday, according to government statistics.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1355 hrs