The sections in this Part have been drafted in a manner that will enable the legislative drafter to cut and past the provisions in the Bill with minimum change. The sections in this Part are cohesive, meaning they support one another to give efficacy to the law during implementation and interpretation. 5.5 Part IV Measures and Interventions to Prevent Child Marriage There is empirical evidence emanating from various researches undertaken by groups and individuals that show that child marriage has specific negative implications on children, ranging from restriction of their personal freedom to impact on health and education. For boys and girls alike, an early marriage has far-reaching physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional consequences. For example, child marriage cuts short the opportunities afforded by study and the chances of personal development. As far as girls are concerned, early marriage in the main, end up in premature pregnancy and childbearing which is a cause of high maternal mortality rates. In addition early marriage is likely to lead to a lifetime of domestic and sexual subservience of the girl child over which she has no control. Teenage girls are also more susceptible, more than grown women, to sexually transmissible diseases, including HIV/AIDS. It is, therefore, important to put in a law, on eradicating child marriage, programmes and incentives to delay marriage. It is imperative to note that the key interventions in this Part could have a significant impact on reducing child marriage, if more resources are made available to rigorously evaluate what is working and scale up successful programs. This Part, therefore, provides for measures and interventions to try and prevent child marriage and delay marriage. These provisions will assist in the long run to eradicate child marriage and are, therefore, essential to any law on eradicating child marriage, and should underpin its structure. The sections in this Part have been drafted in a manner that will enable the legislative drafter to cut and past the provisions in the Bill with minimum change. Page 13 of 78

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