Tana River residents have been advised to report any instances of early marriages so that those responsible can face consequences for diminishing the lives and health of young girls.
This comes after Tana River County has seen a rise in early marriages, which has resulted in a high number of dropout scenarios.
Tana River Woman Representative Amina Dika stated on Thursday that while some parents are taking advantage of their daughters, others are illegally “selling off” their girls due to extreme poverty.
She spoke at a delivery of 100,000 sanitary pads to adolescent girls in 178 primary schools.
Period poverty has also been a big problem, with girls being tricked into joining illicit unions in exchange for food and a few sanitary towels.
Teenage females were advised against getting married or having sex since it would prevent them from attending school.
“Locals shouldn’t trick our girls into getting married young; instead, they should concentrate on their education,” Dika stated.
A pupil at Minjila Primary School named Lawreen Mwende expressed her gratitude to the Women’s Representative for providing sanitary towels to the school and for assuring her that there would be no more absenteeism, which would improve their performance.
