Koumbel B. benefited from the support of the community protection committee of Diondori in the Mopti region. Photo by Mohamed Ag RHISSA, used with permission.

By Job Tiguem Poudiougo

Mali, home to over 25 million people, sees the majority of young women, who account for 24 percent of the population, married before they turn 18, especially in rural areas. Confronted with this stark finding, local communities are mobilizing to safeguard girls and support their continued education.

Child marriage is relatively common in Africa. Figures released in 2018 by the British NGO Girls Not Brides show that 16 percent of girls were married by the age of 15, rising to 54 percent by the age of 18, according to UNICEF. A research report from the Center for Human Rights on child marriage in Africa confirms the accuracy of these figures across ten countries on the continent, including Mali.

The rate is even higher in rural areas, driven by many factors, such as family traditions, economic hardships, and limited access to education, pushing many girls out of education and into marriages with much older men.

Furthermore, insecurity in Mali’s rural regions restricts girls’ access to schooling, with terrorist groups driving armed conflicts for the last ten years.

Read more: The Sahel faces resurgence of terrorist attacks

According to additional figures from UNICEF, 73.8 percent of girls and 85.8 percent of boys attend primary school. However, attendance drops sharply at the secondary level, with only 15 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys enrolled. Behind these statistics are shattered futures, such as Aïda D’s, who was forced into marriage at 15. She told Global Voices:

J’étais au lycée de Sévaré, une ville du centre du Mali dans la région de Mopti situé  à 621 km de Bamako. Je voulais devenir professeur. Un jour, mon oncle est venu nous chercher pour aller au village. Là-bas, ma tante m’a dit que j’allais être mariée à un homme de 48 ans. Je n’ai rien dit, je pleurais. Personne ne m’a écoutée. Une semaine après, j’ai été mariée. Je ne suis jamais retournée à l’école.

I was attending high school at Sévaré, a town in the center of the country in the Mopti region, some 621 kilometers (385 miles) from Bamako, Mali’s capital. I wanted to become a teacher. One day my uncle came to fetch me and took me to the village. There, my aunt told me I was going to be married to a 48-year-old man. I did not say anything; I was crying. Nobody would listen to me. One week later I was married, and I never went back to school.

Aisha’s story, far from being an isolated case, shows how heavily traditions weigh on these communities and how young girls are forced to remain silent when confronted with decisions that derail their lives and hopes.

A ray of hope

In Mopti and elsewhere, community initiatives are beginning to address the challenge. A 2023 Facebook post by the NGO World Vision against child marriage attracted over 2,800 reactions, prompting village women and leaders to establish solidarity funds to keep girls at school.

As a result of this mobilization in Diondori, a village in the rural commune of Socoura in the Mopti Region, the committee managed to prevent 38 child marriages in 2024. This community-led initiative is part of a growing movement among Malian villages leading the fight against child marriage. Mariam Camara, the president of Diondori’s community protection committee, explained:

Nous soutenons quatre filles du village actuellement avec des kits scolaires. Nous faisons de la médiation lorsque nous apprenons qu’une famille veut marier leur fille. Garder les filles à l’école peut les préserver de beaucoup de problèmes.

We are currently helping four girls from the village with educational supply kits. We act as mediators when we learn that a family wants to marry their daughter. Keeping girls at school can shield them from many problems ahead.

Among the girls shielded by this mobilization is 14-year-old student Koumbel B, who had been promised in marriage. Her account illustrates the real difference such local initiatives can make. She said:

Il y a quelques mois, on voulait me marier de force. J'avais peur, car cela signifiait abandonner l’école et mes rêves. Mais le comité est intervenu. Ils ont parlé avec ma famille, expliqué l’importance de mon éducation, et ils m’aident encore avec les fournitures scolaires. Aujourd’hui, je suis toujours à l’école. Je rêve de devenir infirmière. Je veux dire à toutes les filles comme moi : ne perdez jamais espoir. L’école peut changer nos vies.

Some months ago, I was to be forced into marriage. I was scared because it meant saying goodbye to school and my dreams. But the committee intervened. They spoke to my family and explained how important school was. They are still helping me with school supplies and today I’m still at school. My dream is to become a nurse. I want to say to all the girls in my situation: don’t give up hope. Schools can change our lives.

For many other girls, the fight is still difficult, and its outcome may prove less favorable. Mariam Camara added:

On souhaite que nos filles puissent aller à l’école, qu’elles deviennent médecins, avocates ou encore institutrices. Les femmes ont commencé à échanger entre elles lors des tontines. Ensuite, elles ont impliqué leurs époux. Aujourd’hui, certains leaders religieux nous soutiennent.

We want our girls to go to school, for them to become doctors, lawyers or teachers. The conversations began among women during tontines [the informal savings groups common across West Africa], then extended to their husbands. Today, even some religious leaders are lending their support.

The committee is usually present on the ground at sociocultural ceremonies, raising awareness about the harms of child marriage.

From legislation to application

Beyond local initiatives, Mali has ratified several texts safeguarding children’s rights, but its Family Code, under Article 281, continues to permit marriages below the age of 18 with the consent of parents or a judge. Such exceptions, at odds with international norms, are frequently upheld by local traditions.

Organizations such as Wildaf Mali, AJM, and UNICEF are calling for reform to abolish all exceptions to the legal age of marriage, setting it strictly at 18.

Working with civil society, Malian authorities are restating their commitment to tackling the problem of child marriage. On taking office, Diarra Djeneba Sanogo, Minister for the Promotion of Women, Children, and Families, reaffirmed, on November 27, 2024, her commitment to defending children’s rights.

The movement now extends beyond the villages, reaching towns such as Mopti, with more than 330,000 inhabitants (2024), Bandiagara, 679 kilometres (420 miles) east of Bamako, with over 26,000 residents, and Koro, with a population of 25,000.

On Facebook, Wildaf Mali posted a message on December 4, 2024 denouncing child marriage (translation below):

A poster against child marriage shared via a Facebook post. Free to use.

Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence and a violation of our girls’ human rights. If we truly love them, let’s say NO to marrying our children. #NoExcuse #StopChildMarriage #NoToForcedMarriage #EducationNotMarriage

A user’s comment under the post shows just how sensitive the subject is. He posted:

Il est temps de dénoncer cette pratique, mais plusieurs couches de la société doit être impliqué dans ce processus ( les religieux, les coutumiers etc) . Si je parle trop mon compte risque d'être restreint

The time has come to call out this practice, though different sections of society need to be engaged in the process, such as religious and customary leaders. If I speak too openly, my account risks being restricted.

Younoussa Dama, local head of the Koro office for the Promotion of Women, Children and Families, who has noted progress in community engagement, explained:

Ce sont les populations elles-mêmes qui doivent être porteuses du combat. Les gens commencent à comprendre. Le discours communautaire est souvent plus influent que les lois elles-mêmes.

It is the people themselves who must carry this fight. They are beginning to understand, and community discourse is often more influential than the law itself.

The example of young Koumbel, supported by the Diondiori committee, and the voices of youth activists like Bambi Keita, show that change comes from those most directly concerned and is already under way, driven by those who refuse to remain silent.

This article was written as part of the Impact West Africa Fellowship Programme of Aspen Global Innovators.