admin | November 24, 2023
News Brief
Mengistie Tegenie is dedicated to ending child marriage and violence against women in Ethiopia. His motivation stems from the early marriages of his four sisters. Conflict, drought, and COVID-19 have worsened the situation in Ethiopia and Mr. Tegenie worked with Norwegian Church Aid, UN Women, and UNFPA on a program to address gender-based violence. The program conducted community conversations, involving trained facilitators, to raise awareness about the harmful effects of child marriage and violence against women. The aim is to change social norms by engaging men, boys, and
Mengistie Tegenie has four sisters, and they all got married before turning 18. Even though they were smart and did well in school, they had to stop their education after getting married, which is a common situation for many young women in Ethiopia.
When Mr. Tegenie started university, he felt guilty that he could continue his studies while his sisters couldn’t. He realized that child marriage not only prevents women from pursuing careers, but also exposes them to the risk of gender-based violence.
Seeing the impact of child marriage on his family, especially women and girls facing violence, made Mr. Tegenie want to make a change. Now, he works as a specialist in gender-based violence for Norwegian Church Aid, dedicating his life to ending child marriage and violence against women.
The threats to women have become more serious due to a two-year conflict, drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. Child marriages have more than doubled in the most affected regions. In response, Mr. Tegenie and Norwegian Church Aid partnered with UN Women and UNFPA to address the attitudes and beliefs that contribute to gender-based violence and gender inequalities in local Ethiopian communities.
They started an initiative in 2021, supported by a global grant from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in six countries, including Ethiopia.
Mr. Tegenie believes that changing social norms must start at the grassroots level. With help from UN Women, Norwegian Church Aid organized community conversations led by trained facilitators. These discussions focused on the harmful impacts of child marriage and violence against women. At the end of the conversations, community leaders publicly denounced these practices and incorporated sanctions into local bylaws.
The goal is to involve men and boys and change their attitudes about these harmful practices. Mr. Tegenie wants them to understand how they affect the lives of women and girls and encourage community efforts to end violence against them.
He acknowledges that changing social norms takes time and requires the support of community leaders, including faith leaders. Some religious leaders have been promoting harmful practices against women and girls. Mr. Tenegie and Norwegian Church Aid provided training for 48 faith leaders from Orthodox, Protestant, and Islamic traditions. They also urged the country’s top religious councils to declare that gender-based violence and child marriage have no basis in their religions, influencing the attitudes of parish priests and pastors in their communities. This, according to Mr. Tegenie, is what changes norms.
This story is adapted from an article written by UN Women called “UN Women and partners fight gender-based violence by helping to change social norms and attitudes in Ethiopia.” To read the full story, go to: UN Women and partners fight gender-based violence by helping to change social norms and attitudes in Ethiopia | UN Women – Headquarters