DODOMA: STAKEHOLDERS working on child protection and legal reform have agreed on a multi-sector roadmap aimed at strengthening Tanzania’s response to child marriage, with emphasis on harmonising laws and policies, protecting children through education and addressing social and economic factors that expose families to the practice.
The roadmap was developed during a strategic engagement on legal and policy reforms that brought together government institutions, ministries, civil society organisations, legal practitioners and other stakeholders to identify gaps in the existing framework and agree on priority actions.
Participants said legal reform should be accompanied by stronger implementation mechanisms, community awareness and better coordination among institutions responsible for child protection.
Representatives of government institutions highlighted the need to harmonise policies and laws so that they provide consistent protection for children, while also strengthening public education, particularly among communities facing economic hardship.
They also called for greater attention to both girls and boys in child protection interventions, noting that efforts to address child marriage should be part of a broader approach to protecting children and supporting their development.
Ministries participating in the discussions identified the need to strengthen response mechanisms for children already affected by child marriage, including young mothers and other survivors, alongside prevention measures.
The stakeholders further proposed greater use of existing community structures, including ward and village development committees, religious and traditional leadership platforms, elders’ structures and other community mechanisms, rather than creating parallel systems that could increase pressure on limited resources.
They said strengthening existing systems could also help reduce dependence on external funding, while government institutions would need to consider dedicated budget allocations for child protection interventions at national and local government levels.
The roadmap also places emphasis on community-based advocacy, with stakeholders proposing the identification and training of influential community champions, including local government leaders, councillors, religious leaders and traditional leaders, to support awareness and behavioural change.
Civil society organisations proposed strengthening advocacy through evidence-based legal and policy analysis, including a review of laws governing marriage, education and child protection to identify gaps and inconsistencies.
They also called for closer engagement with education stakeholders to examine gaps in child protection as children transition from secondary education to vocational training and other forms of further education.
The participants further identified the media as an important partner in addressing child marriage, proposing specialised training for journalists on child protection laws, ethical reporting, investigative journalism and documentary production.
Tanzania Child Rights Forum Programme Manager Rogasian Massue, presenting the roadmap on behalf of participating stakeholders, said there was a need to examine the different age definitions contained in policies governing children and young people and develop recommendations that promote greater consistency.
He said stakeholders also intended to engage education authorities on strengthening child protection throughout the education cycle.
The roadmap further proposes greater use of digital platforms to disseminate information, support reporting and strengthen feedback between communities and institutions responsible for child protection.
Stakeholders also linked efforts to address child marriage with broader development priorities, including poverty reduction, education, social norms and the empowerment of vulnerable households.
Closing the engagement, Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) Head of Programs Mary Richard, said the stakeholders had reached a common understanding that addressing child marriage required sustained collective action rather than isolated interventions.
She said the roadmap should be collectively owned and implemented by the institutions and organisations involved in the process.
The discussions come amid ongoing national consultations on possible reforms to Tanzania’s marriage and child protection framework. The Law of Marriage Act has remained central to the debate because it contains different age provisions for boys and girls, while stakeholders have continued to advocate for stronger and more consistent protection for children.
The broader reform process also reflects the need to ensure that legal changes are supported by effective implementation, education, community engagement and institutional capacity so that child protection extends beyond legislation to the communities where children live and study.
Source: Daily News (Tanzania)
