The Sahel African Region has called on the African Union to identify and implement innovative strategies to bring States to set the legal age of marriage to 18 years for girls and boys.

This, it said, would ensure that these provisions are effectively implemented at all levels including the Courts and Tribunals.

A statement issued in Accra by Mrs Patricia Essel, the Programmes Officer of Women in Law and Development (WiLDAF) and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), after Second AU Girls summit in Accra said countries must ensure that adequate resources were allocated to implement the campaign and all initiatives and strategies aimed at eradicating child marriage at the national level.

The Sahel African Region urged the African Union to put in place a monitoring mechanism that would coordinate efforts and promote accountability of states, in order to accelerate the eradication of child marriage in societies to build “The Africa we want”.

The 2nd AU Girls summit looked at progress made on commitments, interventions, measures and recommendations of keeping girls in school and facilitating Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR).

The aim was for delegates to assess progress made in ending child marriage in the region, share experiences, lesson learnt, best practices and also to strategize on how to provide better protection for children against early marriage by bringing the key actors working together.

The statement said in line with efforts to end child marriage and other harmful traditional practices against girls, DANIDA in partnership with Save the Children, has launched a Sahel Regional programme, which seeks to increase organisational capacities of regional CSOs and youth networks to effectively engage the African Union to influence social and political change on Ending Child Marriage and Children on the Move in the Sahel.

The Summit presented a great opportunity for Save the Children to support its partner WiLDAF-Africa Organisations to host a high-level dialogue as a side event with delegates from the Sahel Region including: Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad.

The statement said a dialogue, held at the La Palm Hotel, drew representatives from Civil Society Organisations, Girl, Save the Children, WiLDAF-AO and important dignitaries, including Ms Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, the AU Goodwill Ambassador for the campaign to end Child marriage.

The Goodwill Ambassador urged all participants to fully commit to the course of ending child marriage “by standing up, speaking out and solving our own problems”.

It urged States “to invest in education of girls, Strengthen integrated girl centred comprehensive sexuality, education and adolescent friendly SRHR services and break the silence by empowering young girls to be able to stand up, speak up and challenge harmful socio-cultural, religious and traditional norms and values”.

It also appealed to governments to come up with a legal frame work to ensure full inclusion of Persons Living with Disability, allocate resources, collaboration and multi-sectoral approach to ensure states eradicate child marriage.