Thomson Reuters Foundation: Teenage girls step in to stop child marriages in West Africa
“…Driven by poverty, religion, and insecurity, marrying off girls once they reach puberty or even before is a deeply engrained tradition in much of West and Central Africa, but with detrimental effects on health, education, and development. As leaders from across the region met at a landmark conference in Senegal [last] week to confront the issue, [advocate Leyla] Gouzaye and other youth activists also came together to share strategies and ideas…” (Peyton, 10/27).