Panafrican News Agency

Marriages to female minors canceled in Senegal, thanks to NGO Enda JA

Ziguinchor, Senegal (PANA) - The progress report of the "Her Choice" project, implemented in the southern and eastern regions of Senegal - Kolda, Sedhiou and Tambacounda - by the non-governmental organization, "Enda Jeunesse Action", has revealed that almost 100 marriages to underaged girls have been canceled.

The leaders of this project made the announcement Monday during a national meeting to share relevant strategies of the project.

The purpose of the meeting was to analyze the relevance of the project's strategies and to measure progress in the areas of intervention.

"The progress report of this project dedicated to the protection of minors reports about 100 marriages to children have been canceled," said program officer, Marie-Thérèse Sagna, who stressed that this result was to put on the dynamism of girls' clubs, which are fighting with courage and determination to promote the rights of girls.

She explained that girls and boys have enabled the project to achieve these results through the denunciation of harmful practices perpetrated against minors.

According to her, girls' access to sexual and reproductive health information and good practices also helped to achieve these performances, which helped reduce school drop-out rates, often caused by early and non-marital pregnancies.

She also noted that the rate of girls staying in school has been improved through the school's creation of school shops, which have improved income for families and girls through restaurants and hair salons, among others.

Sagna assured that in terms of perspectives, the project's actors are moving towards the definition of sustainability strategies with the community so that the results achieved can continue.

-0- PANA MAD/JSG/SOC/KND/VAO 29Oct2019