Newsletter No. 987
News-Analysis
April 22, 2008

 

TOKYO DONATES TO ELIMINATE CHILD MARRIAGE IN BURKINA FASO

MOFA released a statement yesterday that doesn’t need much of a preface since it speaks for itself. With TICAD IV coming up next month, MOFA bureaucrats are thinking about Africa much more than usual. This statement and donation is probably a reflection of that.

Assistance by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security to the Project “Eliminating Child Marriage in Burkina Faso: A Plan for Protection, Empowerment and Community Action”
April 21, 2008

On the 21st of April (Monday), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 1,645,312.90 US dollars (approximately 185.92 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled “Eliminating Child Marriage in Burkina Faso: A Plan for Protection, Empowerment and Community Action” that will be implemented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, child marriage based on traditional practices and culture threats human security of a number of women and girls who cannot get access to education, health services and employment opportunity. This project aims to address these challenges by protecting and empowering married women and adolescent girls at risk of child marriage in 24 localities in 5 regions of Burkina Faso. Under this project the following activities will be implemented:

a) Raising awareness of community leaders and training social workers for better implementation of existing laws and regulations specifying protection on human rights of women;

b) Providing education for women on human rights, reproductive health, prevention against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS to improve life skills;

c) Providing psychological and legal assistance for victims of child marriage;

d) Conducting training workshop and training health workers to improve quality of medical care;

e) Organizing vocational training to adolescent girls and providing grant to income generating activities for married women.

This project is expected to improve the living conditions of women and adolescent girls in Burkina Faso and to contribute to comprehensively realise Human Security.