Tanzania court upholds law banning child marriage

A high court ruling in 2016 had declared "unconstitutional" sections of Tanzania's marriage act that allowed the practice. It also directed the government to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years within a year.That judgment followed a legal challenge by children's rights activists, who argued that the existing law had pushed many girls into underage marriages.But Tanzania's attorney general launched an appeal — one of its claims was that child marriage could protect unmarried girls who get pregnant.The Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the attorney general's appeal on Wednesday and asked Tanzania's government to respect the previous ruling, according to court documents seen by CNN.With two out of five girls being married off before their 18th birthday, Tanzania has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, Read More – Source