Stop selling your daughters, chieftainess tells parents, Zambia Daily Mail

1. Stimulate a discussion about the human rights of girls and how early marriage can infringe on these rights.      

2. Show how traditional leaders can have a positive influence on communities.

3. Prompt discussions on tradition and culture.

4. Promt discussions on gender and education.

 

Trainer’s Notes:  The article is a good illustration of an attempt to mainstream gender – it deals with the impact of early marriage on the lives of girls and links it to continued gender imbalances.  The article is strengthened by the use of a chieftainess as a source. A missing voice however is that of the young women who are directly affected by early marriage.  HIV coverage could be strengthened.

 

1. What is the role of traditional leaders in promoting human rights and preventing HIV?

2. What is the impact on early marriage for the girl ?

3. What are the leadign factors contributing to early marriage ?

 

Training exercises:      

1. Research statistics around gender and education. What are enrollement rates ? Do the differ among boys and girls ?

2. Design a poster that could be used to prevent early marriage and keep girls in school. What are the key messages that would encourage parents to do this ?

                                                                                                    

Links to Training Resources:  Gender and HIV/AIDS: A Training Manual for Southern African Media and Communicators, Gender Links and the AIDS Law Project, Chapter 4 www.genderlinks.org.za/docs/training/hiv-training-manual/hiv-ch4.pdf