Plan International plans to roll out an awareness creation campaign in Kisumu County on early and forced marriage among school going children.
Country Director Carol Sherman said early and forced marriage is a violation of human rights that destroys girls’ childhood lives.
Sherman said the practice is most prevalent in some parts of the country, where girls are married before age 18.
She said girls are often forced to drop out of school for marriage, and once married, they are not permitted to continue with their education.
She said the practice violates girls’ human rights, curtails their education, harms their health and sharply constrains their futures.
“The practice must be stopped to allow our girls to continue with their education and exploit their potential,” she said.
Speaking in Kisumu when she paid a courtesy call at Governor Jack Ranguma’s office, Sherman said girls who are married early are often deprived of the opportunity to reach their full potential.
She said the consequences of early marriages reach beyond the lives of young married girls themselves to the next generation, and Plan International will be out to speak to the community.
Ranguma lauded Plan International for their educational investment in the county, where they have focused on early childhood education.
He said early childhood education has been neglected and his government has allocated funds for the improvement of the sector.