Events

The 6th National Girl Summit aims at convening several delegates including children, youth, officials from different Ministry Department Agencies, UN agencies and other development partners, district leaders, faith and cultural leaders, private sector such as school administrators, media and CSOs plus voices of children to reflect on the progress made in ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy both at regional and national level.

The Day of the African Child (DAC) is commemorated annually on June 16th in honor of children who participated in the Soweto Uprising of 1976. DAC is of significance to African children and calls for serious introspection and commitment towards addressing the numerous challenges facing children across the continent. Governments, NGOs, and other multi-sectoral stakeholders gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the full realization of the rights of children in Africa. This year we are celebrating DAC under the theme: “Promoting and Protecting Children’s Rights in Schools”

Joy for Children- Uganda organized a one day capacity building workshop for Members of Parliament on laws/frameworks and policies that align with 2020 UN General Assembly Resolution on child and early and forced marriage (A/RES/75/167). Some of these frameworks include the National Strategy to end child marriage and teenage pregnancy (2022/23-2026/27), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) model law.

Joy for Children- Uganda to conducted a follow up meeting with the parliamentarians to track progress on status of the bill as per the last engagement and strategize on the way forward.

This Experience and learning sharing workshop was hinged on the Girls Not Brides Uganda’s principle among others of sharing success stories and learning on what’s working to improve the lives of girls.

Many girls face considerable pressure to marry early and become mothers while they are still young. Child marriage is a painful reality for far too many girls in Uganda. Driven by the scourge of family poverty and norms that favor boys over girls, child marriage renders girls less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience gender-based violence.