Binti, a digital advocacy tool to end child marriage in Tanzania
A new digital advocacy campaign driven by young people and local influencers
According to recent data, 3 in 10 girls in Tanzania get married during childhood. Child marriage deprives bintis (‘daughter’ in Kiswahili) of their right to education, opportunities and health and protection. It keeps them in poverty and vulnerable to domestic violence and sexually transmitted infections, and increases the risk of death for underage mothers and their babies. In some regions, child marriage rates are even higher than 50%.
In Tanzania, the Marriage Act of 1971 prohibits boys from being married before the age of 18, but allows girls as young as 14 to be married with parental or court consent. In 2016, the court ruled that marriage under the age of 18 was unconstitutional for both genders and ordered the government to raise the minimum threshold for marriage to 18 for both girls and boys within one year. However, the government has yet to comply with this order, while child marriages in Tanzania continue to rise.
Co-created from concept to delivery with young people and partners, Binti is a new digital advocacy campaign to build a healthier, brighter, and better future for every binti in Tanzania. Driven by young people and local influencers and powered by partners and existing advocacy platforms, Binti is bringing together different voices and sparking conversations across communities in the country to take a pledge not to participate in the marriage of a child under the age of 18.
Binti’s supporters can pledge online, easily and for free, at the campaign’s official website (binti.tz) to never participate in any marriage ceremony for someone below the age of 18, to report child marriage events or discussions in their communities to the relevant authorities, and to educate friends, family and neighbours about the harmful effects of child marriage for children and their future.
Participants can also pledge via WhatsApp and free SMS, leveraging UNICEF’s U-Report ecosystem in a first-of-its-kind digital advocacy campaign designed to unite communities across the country against child marriage. Pledges, taken individually or by groups, are counted and tracked live on the website, and then presented to decision-makers as proof of the citizens' growing demand for Tanzania’s child marriage laws to be amended.
Binti is designed to complement the work of UNICEF Tanzania’s Child Protection team, who supports the Government in getting the amendment ready for parliament and works alongside partners in communities to address behaviours that encourage child marriage.
"The time is now to address the social norms that hinder us from fulfilling our life dreams.
As young people, we have a chance to make Tanzania a place where every child is loved, protected, and given their rights to blossom."
On social media, Binti has reached over 4.1 million impressions and more than 283,000 engagements through the campaign and UNICEF channels. Counting partners, young people, and influencer channels, Binti is averaging more than 2 million impressions per week. To date, almost 84,000 pledges have been recorded.
