UN rights commitee concerned about child marriage in Lesotho
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has expressed concern about child marriage that persists in Lesotho.
This is in the context of an inconsistent legal framework, including statutory exemptions allowing marriage under the age of 18 with parental or guardian consent and customary law permitting marriage after puberty without a clearly defined minimum age.
This is part of the findings on Lesotho's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Convention) issued in Geneva, Switzerland, by the Commitee.
The Committee called on Lesotho to harmonise statutory and customary law to set 18 as the minimum marriage age for both women and men without exceptions. The Committee also recommended enforcing the minimum marriage age through age verification, mandatory civil registration before religious and traditional marriages, and adequate penalties for those who facilitate child marriage.
The Committee was concerned about the high incidence of gender-based violence against women and girls, including sexual and domestic violence.
It urged the State Party to strengthen specialised investigative and prosecutorial capacity for such cases, provide mandatory and systematic training for judges, prosecutors, police and other law enforcement officers on survivor-centred approaches and gender-sensitive investigation and interviewing methods, and ensure effective enforcement and monitoring of protection orders.
It also called for expanding access to shelters, psychosocial counselling and legal aid for survivors, particularly for rural women, women with disabilities and LGBTI+ women.
-0- PANA MA 25Feb2026
