Zambian law prohibits marriage under 21 but the practise, driven by circumstance, stubbornly persists, albeit increasingly as informal cohabitations which are inseparable from pregnancy and parenthood. For many adolescents, who lack the experience, emotional maturity and financial resources to cope, they are a complex and challenging experience, rarely investigated until now.
New research, published today as part of Young Lives' and Child Frontiers multi country Young Marriage and Parenthood Study (YMAPS), documents the experiences of young Zambians who are married or cohabiting before the age of 18 and of many who became parents in their teens. It exposes the challenges they face as they navigate these adult roles and responsibilities
