Teenage pregnancy and child marriage could lead the man involved to thirty years of prison. President has taken a tougher measure to safeguard schoolgirls.
Tanzania is one of the top countries in the world with highest adolescent pregnancy and birth rates. A recent survey finds 21 percent of girls aged between 15 and 19 have become mother.
Even though child marriage or sex with underage girls are prohibited by the Tanzanian laws and counted as a criminal offence, but poor parents often use a special dispensation under the law and marry off their young daughters for money.
Using the special dispensation a girl as young as fourteen years can be married off with parental or court consent.
However, the new provisions passed now by the parliament prohibits marriage of underage under any circumstances and calls it as illegal.
According to Attorney General George Masaju the new law complements with the free education policy of the government that was launched earlier this year in January. The measure also ensures all girls are able to complete education.
Another figure reveals every year about 15 million girls are married of across the world.
TAMWA head Eda Sanga said, “Girls who are married off at a young age are being denied the freedom to make informed decisions later in life.”
TAMWA is women’s rights group in the country.
The newly passed law states as below:
“Any person who impregnates a primary school or a secondary school girl commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term of thirty years.”
