Summary

SAI Zambia conducted a performance audit of measures put in place by the Gender Division under the Office of the President, the Consortium of 11 Line Ministries, and other institutions to end child marriage in the country. The audit covered a period of four years from January 2020 to October 2023. The implementation of measures to end child marriage has shown progress but faces significant challenges due to insufficient funding, ineffective approval and coordination of legislation and regulations due to lack of prioritization, and inadequate resources. Auditors concluded that: - while health services have improved, youth friendly reproductive health services, as well as guidance and counselling services for schoolchildren remain constrained; - the Judiciary's efforts are hindered by inadequate Case Management training and the absence of national statistical database on child marriage; - significant gaps in interagency coordination exist due to conflicts over program content, insufficient funding, lack of clear guidelines, and inappropriate resource allocation; - a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system for activities to end child marriage has not been established, in particular due to the lack of thematic studies on this issue because of financial constraints and staff changes. SAI Zambia made a number of recommendations on establishing a clear data collection framework, strengthening coordination mechanisms, introducing a monitoring and evaluation system, and ensuring that research on child marriage is carried out regularly.