Government leaders, religious representatives and community advocates gathered in Kinshasa on Friday, Aug. 8, for the Congolese Forum on the Family — known locally as Palabre — to call for reform that would make civil marriage more accessible and strengthen family stability across the nation.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marriage is often difficult due to high costs and underage marriages. A UNICEF survey shows that 29% of girls marry before the age of 18, and 8% before the age of 15; 6% of boys marry before the age of 18. Underage marriage can have detrimental effects in health and education.
“Child marriage often compromises a girl’s development by resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation, interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career and vocational advancement and placing her at risk of domestic violence,” UNICEF writes, adding: “Marriage may similarly place boys in an adult role for which they are unprepared and may place economic pressures on them and curtail their opportunities for further education or career advancement.”
The event, supported and led by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in collaboration with the National Council of Religions for Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, brought together Church leaders, senators, deputies, clergy, government ministers and civil society representatives with a shared vision to address legal and cultural barriers to marriage and ensure that strong families can flourish.
Church commitment to strong families
Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, General Authority Seventy and Africa Central Area president, told participants that one purpose of the Church is to help individuals and families find joy and unity that can last into eternity, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
In June, on behalf of the Church, Elder Mutombo signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Council of Religions for Peace. This event built on that agreement.
“The goal of all Church activities is to ensure that individuals, whether men or women, along with their children, are happy in their homes and united for time and eternity,” he said, pointing to The Family: A Proclamation to the World — which turns 30 years old in September. “A strong family leads to a stable nation. The Church remains a dedicated partner in fostering united, responsible and blessed families.”
Since 2023, the Church has collaborated with the National Council of Religions for Peace on the Marriage Project, an initiative to promote the regularization of unions and increase public awareness of the Family Code.
The Family Code
The Family Code is the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s laws surrounding marriage and family.
During the event, Senator José Mpanda Kabangu presented a bill he introduced to the Senate Bureau on June 2 regarding the Family Code.
“Marriage should no longer be regarded as a luxury; rather, it must be considered a right accessible to everyone,” Kabangu said.
The proposed reform would regulate dowry practices — while still maintaining cultural symbolic value — simplify administrative procedures and remove financial barriers to civil marriage ceremonies.
“The current laws are either incomplete or not suitable for today’s situations,” the senator said. “It is essential to update the Family Code to reflect the contemporary realities of our society.”
Government and interfaith support
Gisèle Ndaya Luseba,the country’s minister of Gender, Family and Children, , reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making marriage legally and financially accessible, saying, “Civil marriage is a right, not a privilege. A society that makes legal marriage accessible promotes peace, justice and dignity.”
Reverend Armand Kinyamba, secretary general of the National Council of Religions for Peace, said that more than 800 marriages have been regularized free of charge since the initiative began and over 10,000 copies of the Family Code have been distributed throughout the country. Yet, challenges remain.
“High civil-marriage celebration fees, the early marriage of underage girls and a lack of awareness about the Family Code are significant obstacles that need to be addressed,” he said.
Preserving family memory and looking forward
Boris Kabeya, Africa Central Area manager for FamilySearch International, spoke of the importance of preserving legal identity and family heritage.
“Family memory is a treasure that can only be passed down within a stable and legal framework,” he said. FamilySearch is working to digitize civil and customary archives to ensure that Congolese families can preserve their history.
“Let’s support this bill so that our children inherit not only names but also values, landmarks and a story worth telling,” he added.
The forum concluded with a joint call for collaboration among state institutions, religious organizations and civil society. Speakers emphasized that the proposed reforms are not only about amending legal codes but about transforming lives and protecting families.
