During the Children and Youth Pre-Psychosocial Support Forum, 2017, RIATT-ESA hosted a Youth Advocacy Blog Competition. The competition was part of a youth training on using social media for advocacy. About 80 children and youth participated in the training and all participants were all invited to enter the blog writing competition.

Of the participants, 23 young people entered the competition by submitting an advocacy blog that calls for government and the development community to take action. We are now excited to announce the winners of the competition. Congratulations, Justina Kulwa from Tanzania and Dulce Ana Timba from Mozambique.

The prize for the winners in a Lenovo TAB3 710 7" 16GB Tablet.

Click here to read the blog by Justina Kwala

Click here to read to blog by Dulce Ana Timba

Click here to read more of the blogs submitted by the youth.

About the Award

In East and Southern Africa, 35% of women are married before age 18. Globally, over 650 million women alive today were married as children. Child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and is exacerbated by poverty, insecurity and conflict.

Launched in 2018, RIATT-ESA in partnership with the the African Union and with support from Media Monitoring Africa, launched an award for journalists reporting on Child Marriage. The award was developed in support the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage Campaign, in an effort to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of girls and women in Africa. The primary objective of the Award is to promote reporting of child marriage issues; hence raising public awareness, understanding and galvanizing action against child marriage.

The first awards were handed out in 2019 during the during the 3rd STC & SDLE of the African Union.