AFCON 2016: TOGETHER AGAINST THE MARRIAGE OF YOUNG GIRLS

Yaoundé, November 28, 2016 – The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Cameroon, the African Union (AU), Powerplay and the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) have jointly launched the “Together against the marriage of young girls” campaign with the view to eradicate child marriages on the continent.

After the launching of the campaign by the Cameroonian Government  on 18 November 2016 in the sidelines of the ongoing women AFCON hosted by the Republic of Cameroon, the female football champions have been used to raise awareness and sensitize the population on the need to stop the ill practices of marrying girls below the ages of 18 years and rather invest in their education so that they can become the leaders of tomorrow.

A delegation representing the various partners and stakeholders on the end child marriage campaign visited a renowned primary school in Yaoundé on 28 November 2016, to raise awareness and engage the youth in the fight against such social bad practices. Some AFCON female champions from the Ghanaian and Cameroonian teams joined the campaign trail on “End Child Marriage” during today’s field visit at the Ndjoungolo Primary School, Yaounde. .

As part of the campaign, a quiz was organized for the young school children and promotional materials carrying slogans on the AFCON theme: “Together against the Marriage of the Young Girls”, were distributed to the winner of the quiz. The school children were also briefed about the Africa Agenda 2063 and efforts of the African Union Commission to create a better place for all in the continent…the “Africa We Want”.

The representatives of the CAF, Mr Leodegard Tenga, the UNICEF country representative for Cameroon, Mrs. Felicite Tchibindat and the AU Commission representative, Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division, all participated in the various school events organized to pass on various messages to the youths. Notably, the use of sports as a way to fight child marriage and to ensure the emancipation of young girls.

About African Union
The advent of the African Union (AU) can be described as an event of great magnitude in the institutional evolution of the continent. On 9.9.1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation.

Media Contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou / Head of Information Division / Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission / Tel: +237 650288361 / E-mail: esthertankou@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com