Communities urged to have their say on child marriage bill
The Commission for Gender Equality has called on communities in KwaZulu-Natal to have their say on the Draft Marriage Bill.
The bill proposes the outlawing of child marriage altogether.
Current laws allow minors aged 15 and under to enter into customary and civil marriages with consent from their parents or guardians or the Home Affairs Minister.
According to Stats SA, some 200 child marriages were recorded in South Africa in 2021.
The commission's provincial manager Zanele Ncwane says poverty and abuse of tradition drive child marriages.
She's urged families and communities to allow children to remain that - and not be coerced into marriages.
"All children need to be protected. We are calling for communities not to see a child and see a furze wife and not to see a girl child and see a solution to financial challenges of a family."
The Home Affairs Department has invited public comment on the bill, with the deadline at the end of this month.
