Tanzania Ending Child Marriage Network (TECMN) was established by the Children’s Dignity Forum (CDF) in September 2011 and officially launched on October 11, 2012. CDF continues to serve as the Network’s Secretariat, with FORWARD UK providing both technical and financial support.
TECMN was founded to promote coordinated, collective, and sustained advocacy efforts aimed at ending child marriage at the national, regional, and international levels. The Network actively contributes to the East African movement to end child marriage, participates in Pan-African initiatives, and engages with the global Girls Not Brides (GNB) partnership, ensuring that Tanzania’s efforts and perspectives are meaningfully represented across all platforms.
Since its inception, TECMN has expanded significantly, now comprising 103 member organisations across Tanzania. This remarkable growth reflects the strength of its collaborative approach and the nationwide commitment to ending child marriage. It also highlights the need for a strong governance framework and clearly defined member roles and responsibilities to ensure efficiency, accountability, and measurable impact. The Network’s establishment was driven by a shared recognition among Tanzanian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of the importance of adopting multi-sectoral strategies to effectively combat child marriage.
As an active member of Girls Not Brides (GNB), TECMN works closely with the Government of Tanzania, particularly with relevant ministries, parliamentarians, and local government authorities, as well as with traditional and religious leaders, development partners, and, most importantly, girls and young women directly affected by child marriage.
