Every three seconds, a child becomes a victim of forced marriage.1 This egregious child rights violation robs millions of their childhoods, substituting a life of misery and hardship.
Girls like Maria*, who at 13 was forced to become the sixth wife of a 70-year-old man. When she resisted, her father told her: “If you don’t go to join your husband, I will kill you.”2
Join our movement to end forced child marriage and help girls like Maria.
Right now world leaders, government officials and civil society can make ending forced marriage a priority. Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 has put ending forced marriage on the global agenda and with our support for this goal we can help change the lives of girls like Maria for the better.
But we need people like you to help push governments and civil society to make ending this abhorrent practice a priority.
Case by case, country by country, we will push lawmakers and politicians to protect children from this abhorrent practice.
Want to know more about forced child marriage around the world – check out our blog here!
Assunção B.,
Jacqueline L.,
Roberto B.,
Laura T.,
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Liz D.,
Anne M.,
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There must be serious consequences for those who engage in child marriages and those who give consent for their children being married. I bet that you would see a drastic decline.
Having lived in the UK for some yrs it has been frightening the number of girls forced to leave the country, often to Pakistan, for marriage. Unfortunately some committed suicide and it took the UK govt some time to bring in a law to stop this. It does not mean it has stopped tho as families use devious means to fulfill this unjust practice. There should be no space for this practice in any civilised country including FGM.
Any culture that allows child marriage needs to put a stop to it. Those cultures that don’t need to stand up and fight for the children who are forced into it. Women and girls in many cultures in parts of the world that still see women as inferior or property of the family and then the husband may try to do this, but no child should have to marry unless she is of legal age, and then only if she wants to and then she should only marry whom she wants to.
I CAN’T BELIEVE IN ANY COUNTTRY A PARENT WOULD MARRY OFF A CHILD, TO SOMEONE OLD ENOUGH TO BE THEIR CHILD’S GRANDPARENT, POSSIBLY GREAT GRANDPARENT!!!!!!!! IT’S JUST SICKENING, AND WHAT THAT GIRL WILL ENDURE, IS UNIMAGINABLE AS AN ADULT, LET ALONE AS A 13 YEAR OLD!!!!!!!
I totally agree especially with Jewish religion they marry the daughters at age 13. Horrible they have no education. It should be illegal. They have no real childhood.
Nonsense. Under Jewish law the bride can say no. The father provides a dowry which in the case of a breakdown is returned to the wife.
How can you be sure that this is nonsense when we know that everybody doesnt abide by standard practice and anyway it is archaic practice to think of offering your daughter into marriage at such a young age. It seems one rule for men and another for girls/women!