Liapeng Raliengoane | raliengoaneliapeng@yahoo.com
LESOTHO, Thaba-Tseka – After endless joint efforts, Linakeng community boasts ending child marriage which was high in the area.
Lesotho has committed to eliminate child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5), “achieve gender equality and empower all women.”
‘Mathabiso Mokhabi a Village Health Worker (VHW) at Linakeng Ha Mphosi Thaba-Tseka revealed that they were trained on how to tackle child marriage in their different areas, and this training came in handy in ending child marriage in their area.
“In this village, when a family welcomes a new bride, we VHWs go to that family to demand national identity documents to confirm the ages of those who are getting married. If they are young, we report them to the Chief and that marriage is stopped,” this village health worker said.
Asked if villagers do not give them trouble revealing the ages and asking such information, Mokhabi declared that they understand that it is part of their work as VHWs and the villagers comply.
Thaba-Tseka Linakeng Ha Mphosi Local Government Councillor Shao Sebeta recalls how one day a 22-year-old boy who had married a 16-year-old was arrested by the Lesotho Mounted Police Services officers and it had sent shock throughout the while village.
“I believe that incident helped in ending child marriage in this area because no one wants to be arrested,” Councillor Sebeta established.
Councillor Sebeta said back in the days, there would be marriages for 13- to 15-year-olds but after the capacitation and joint efforts, they no more have child marriages in their area.
He went on to explain that because of the health talks given to the villagers by Linakeng Health Centre, the community understands fully what child marriage is. Though one challenge they are faced with is of alcohol abuse around the area.
From Linakeng Health Centre, Nurse Assistant Mpolokeng Ramone stressed that during their meetings with village health workers, they stress the importance of sensitizing the community about child marriage.
“VHWs are reminded several times to report marriages of below 25 ages as 25 years is considered young,” Nurse Ramone indicated.
She further confirmed that, “VHWs underwent training offered by Linakeng Health Facility on child marriage and procedures to be followed when there is such marriage in their villages.”
She also expressed that there used to be many child marriages back then but now the rate has declined exponentially and they track this through reports from village health workers.
The Annual Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Report (2023) on the Marital status of household heads states that considering the early marriage issues, the number of households who reported early marriage was insignificant as there were only a few cases of child headed households throughout the whole country.
On the barriers preventing women and girls from accessing basic facilities, the report states that the distance and cost seemed to be the major barriers across the country that discourage women and girls to access basic services like family planning services at the health facilities. Three districts, Quthing, Qacha’s Nek and Thaba-Tseka recorded the larger proportions of about 78%, 74% and 54% respectively of women and girls who travel long distances to the facilities.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) promotes policies, programmes and legislation designed to end child marriage.
In Lesotho, UNFPA supports the government through evidence-based, girl-centred investments that empower girls with the information, skills and services they need to be healthy, educated and safe, helping them make a successful transition to adulthood.
These efforts are part of UNFPA’s broader commitment to gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in Lesotho.
