Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698834387379.pdf (South Africa)
_______________________________________ NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY QUESTION NUMBER: 2153 DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 03 SEPTEMBER 2021 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER: 21 - 2021 2153.
Ms L L van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Social Development: Whether her department has any statistics on the number of child marriages in the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is being done to prevent such marriages and (b) are the further NW2443E relevant details in this regard?

REPLY: The Department does not have direct statistics on number of child marriages in the Republic as this is the responsibility of the Department of Home Affairs.
1 (a) Education and Awareness is done on Section 12 of the Children’s Act which child marriages, engaging prohibits communities, traditional implications of child leaders on marriages as well as Section 141 that prohibits child exploitation and children engaging in exploitative child labour.

religious and the Advocacy programmes on gender equality are conducted as well as intersectoral training and capacity building to key stakeholders such as SAPS and NPA on their the prosecution of perpetrators.
responsibility roles and in and education The department has institutionalized 365 awareness days programme on violence against women and children, conducted in partnership with other relevant stakeholders to educate the rights, communities about children’s protection of the rights of children from abuse and exploitation which includes child marriages.
2 The department further implement social behavior change programmes such as CHOMMY, a programme that is intended to equip pre-teenagers aged 10-14 with life skills, YOLO- information and teenagers aged 15-24 which serve the same purpose as CHOMMY.

There is also Men and Boys Championing Change programme that is championed by men and is intended in mobilizing other Men in the fight against GBV and HIV; ad to serve as role model for boys especially those without fathers.
Boys are empowered on growing up as responsible men and how to deal with issues.

Social behavior change programme further includes “Asikhulume”, an InterFaith based programmes which seeks to foster social cohesion, restore moral fibre and healing to individuals, communities and the society.
Provinces embark on skill building initiatives to empower girls, families and sustainable through communities livelihood programmes and cooperatives to 3 reduce poverty in communities which often sees a girl child traded in.

(b) Child marriage is a multi-sectoral issue which requires collaboration with different stakeholders which include government, private, society civil business, community leadership and structures, and families.

organizations, 4