The Burundi government has ordered its unmarried couples to make things official and wed before the end of 2017 to show patriotism and help protect women. President Pierre Nkurunziza signed the order into law in May and his government insists a legal document recognising a marriage helps protect women and their children, especially when it comes to issues such as inheritance as well as help “moralise” the country.
Earlier in the year, Burundi’s interior ministry spokesman, Terence Ntahiraja said that Burundi was facing a population explosion, which he blamed on “illegal marriages”, polygamy, bigamy and “hundreds of schoolgirls getting pregnant”.
He said church and state-sanctioned weddings were the solution and were a patriotic duty.
Already, government official are laying plans for mass weddings.