22 September 2014
UNGA Holds First-ever Discussion on Child Marriage
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UN Member States discussed the human rights and development impacts of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) and how to end child marriage within a generation, during the first-ever panel discussion on child marriage organized by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Circulating the summary of key messages from the discussion, UNGA President John Ashe said the event had helped to raise awareness of the harmful impact of CEFM on its victims, the development costs to society at large, and the need for increased international and national action to end the practice.

UNGA15 September 2014: UN Member States discussed the human rights and development impacts of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) and how to end child marriage within a generation, during the first-ever panel discussion on child marriage organized by the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Circulating the summary of key messages from the discussion, UNGA President John Ashe said the event had helped to raise awareness of the harmful impact of CEFM on its victims, the development costs to society at large, and the need for increased international and national action to end the practice.

The ‘Panel Discussion on Child, Early and Forced Marriage Worldwide, including the Elaboration of the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ took place on 5 September 2014, in New York, US. The panel was moderated by Mabel van Oranje, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, and panelists included: John Hendra, UN Women; Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA and Goodwill Ambassador for the African Union’s Campaign to End Child Marriage; Ndodeye Bassey-Obongha, Girls’ Power Initiative (GPI), Nigeria; Amjad Rabi, UNICEF Nepal; and Anita Raj, University of California San Diego’s Center on Gender Equity and Health.

One suggested that CEFM should be considered a crime, rather than a marriage, given the lack of consent and the numerous human rights violations associated with it. The development of national strategies and legislation to address this issue, pursued by countries with a high prevalence of CEFM, such as Bangladesh, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Tanzania and Zambia, was saluted.

The call for the elimination of harmful practices “including child, early and forced marriage,” included in target 5.3 of the proposal of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), was welcomed by many delegations, but some expressed concern that the issue may require a more targeted focus for implementation. Others expressed concern that there is a lack of clarity regarding “early marriage.”

Participants highlighted positive actions and measures required to prevent CEFM: empowerment of girls to ensure their access to education, participation and well-being; family and community awareness and mobilization, including among men and boys, as well as traditional and religious leaders, to change attitudes; provision of safe spaces and services, including in the areas of education, health and livelihoods, for girls at risk of early marriage and also for those who have already been forcefully married; and adoption and implementation of laws and policies in line with international standards.

The panel discussion was organized pursuant to UNGA resolution 68/148, and a second resolution on CEFM will be put to the 69th session of the Assembly, according to Ashe’s summary. [Summary of Key Messages] [Event Programme] [Girls Not Brides Event Webpage]

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