In Mozambique, conservationists try to curb child marriage

The emphasis on girls is part of a wider campaign to restore Gorongosa, led by a joint venture between a non-profit group founded by American philanthropist Greg Carr and the Mozambican government.

Much of Gorongosa’s wildlife was wiped out during the nearly two-decade civil war that ended in 1992. The park is in an opposition area in central Mozambique, where political tensions led to sporadic clashes in the last few years.

Child marriage around the world has declined in past decades but progress has been slow, according to the U.N. children’s agency. Mozambique has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, UNICEF says.

Mozambican parents who give girls away in marriage benefit from a payment made by the bridegroom’s family, and it also “removes a mouth to feed — an important consideration for families living below or only slightly above the poverty line,” UNICEF said.

One aim of the Gorongosa clubs is to help the girls understand that, once armed with an education, they can seek the same kinds of opportunities as the boys. Some boys have been allowed to join in the club’s activities.

The legal age of marriage in the southern African country is 18, though it can be 16 if parents give consent. Girls and young women are vulnerable to HIV infection, and many women are illiterate.

“Children shouldn’t be having children. It’s dangerous,” Carr said. “When women are educated, all of society benefits.”

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Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris

Christopher Torchia, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

In Mozambique, conservationists try to curb child marriage

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