Girls Parliament to end child marriage in Uganda

the Girls' Parliament to End Child Marriage in Uganda has made significant strides in tackling child marriage in Uganda's Bukedea district. Since its inception, the project has moved from initial implementation to a broader regional expansion, achieving key milestones and directly contributing to changes in community norms and national policy dialogues.

The journey of the Girls' Parliament project is documented through periodic reports on GlobalGiving. Here is a timeline of its key developments.

The project has engaged 70 trained girl leaders and 285 girls and young women (aged 13-24) in advocacy with police, child protection units, and political leaders.

• Peer Education: Training-of-trainers (TOT) programs were conducted, creating peer educators who reached 520 girls and 304 boys with life skills and comprehensive sexuality education.

• Community Advocacy: Through public debates, poetry, and music, drama, and dance (MDD), 210 girls were reached with mentoring on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV).

• Shifting Attitudes: Project leaders observed positive changes in communities, such as a 17-year-old survivor named Gloria who, after leaving a forced marriage, was inspired to "begin sensitising young people ... about their rights and responsibilities" to prevent others from suffering as she did

Strengthening Community Foundations

Building on initial successes, the project entered a phase focused on community-level dialogues.  One participant, Ataro, shared how the dialogue sessions gave her a new vision for the future: "The dialogue changed the way I look at my future. Before I was very limited, I almost had no dreams... Since I started participating in the program, I put those thoughts aside and now I dream of being a teacher"

Direct Interventions: Recent activities include conducting 16 community dialogues where girls advocate with police and child protection units. The project also aims to train 70 new girl leaders and conduct SRHR/GBV mentoring sessions in 5 schools and 5 communities.

National Policy Advocacy: The project has contributed to raising awareness and building a national consensus for legal reform. As of April 2026, the Ugandan government, with support from stakeholders, is actively pushing for a marriage law amendment to ban child marriages below 18.

The project's future plans focus on scaling the Girls' Parliament model, deepening community outreach, and strengthening policy advocacy. By continuing to empower girl leaders, engage communities, and influence policy, SCOEN is creating a future where girls can choose their own paths.