date of birth or determine a party’s approximate age. Marriage officers may also rely on community knowledge and interviews but wherever possible, this must be substantiated by objective, documentary evidence and verification procedures should not rely solely on the statements of parents or legal guardians. In the event of a dispute or inconclusive evidence as to a person’s age, the presumption should be that the person is under the age of 18. [27] States Parties must accord priority to the establishment and improvement of official systems of registration, including in particular their Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems to ensure universal coverage within their borders. States Parties are further encouraged to have regard to General Comment Number 2 issued by the Committee relating to Article 6 of the African Children’s Charter for further guidance on implementation of the right to birth registration. [28] States Parties are obligated to make the registration of all marriages in an official registry compulsory.20 Compliance with this obligation requires the official registration of all forms of union, whether civil, customary or religious. Compliance also requires that marriage registration systems are accessible and cost effective for the parties to a marriage. Ensure full enforcement of laws, penalties and sanctions [29] To enforce the prohibition against child marriage, penalties and sanctions should be imposed where marriages are performed without the necessary checks 20 See Article 6(d) of the Maputo Protocol and Article 21(2) of the African Children’s Charter. 16