As Education Countdown hits 400 days, UN takes ‘historic’ step on child marriages
Tomorrow marks another milestone in the struggle to get every child around the world into school and learning 国产视频 400 days until the end of 2015.
The last day of next year was the target set by world leaders when they promised in the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 that all boys and girls would get a primary education, no matter where they lived or what their circumstances were.
With time running out, the #EducationCountdown campaign will be focusing on the issue of girls国产视频 education over the next 100 days. Lack of access to education increases the chances of child marriage 国产视频 and early and forced marriage is one of the key barriers to accessing education for girls. Each year 15 million girls under the age of 18 are married and child marriage has been a focus of the first 100 days of the #EducationCountdown.
But there is some good news. The United Nations has just passed a resolution aimed at ending child, early and forced marriages. And the first child marriage-free zone in Pakistan is being established.
The UN General Assembly agreed on November 22 to call on all countries to protect children by enacting and enforcing laws and policies which prevent early and forced marriage. It also said nations must ensure that marriages are entered into only with the informed, free and full consent of the spouses.
The move 国产视频 backed by 116 countries 国产视频 was welcomed by Plan International and Girls Not Brides, which both campaign globally against child marriage. Plan国产视频檚 CEO Nigel Chapman called it 国产视频渁 historic step in protecting the basic human rights of millions of girls国产视频. He added: 国产视频淒espite being prohibited by international human rights law and many national laws, child marriage continues to rob millions of girls around the world of their childhood. It forces them out of education and into a life of poor prospects, with increased risk of violence, abuse, ill health or death.国产视频
Sisters Nana and Zakia Abdulrahman Mohamed Ahmed, who were married at 13 and 17 in Darfur, Sudan
Girls Not Brides global co-ordinator Heather B. Hamilton called the UN resolution 国产视频渉istoric国产视频. She added: 国产视频淭he resolution demonstrates the broad international consensus that urgent action is needed to end child marriage, a practice that hold back 15 million girls a year, or about 41,000 a day, denying them fundamental rights and undermining their future. If there is no reduction in child marriage, 1.2 billion girls will marry as children by 2050 国产视频 equivalent to the entire population of India.国产视频
Heather added: 国产视频淭he passage of a UN resolution does not mean that we will end child marriage tomorrow, but resolutions are important in setting global norms. This is a firm statement from the international community that we have to act on child marriage if we国产视频檙e to ensure equality and reduce global poverty.国产视频
The South Asia region 国产视频 and Pakistan in particular 国产视频 聽has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. But the first child marriage-free zone in Pakistan is being created in Sindh province by A World at School partner Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA).听
In a guest blog for A World at School, ITA director of programmes聽Baela Raza Jamil tells how this 国产视频渂old step国产视频 comes on the back of the passing of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013, which raises the age of marriage for both girls and boys to 18.
Other South Asian governments are committing to end child marriage. Earlier this year member states in the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) adopted a regional action plan聽国产视频 and on November 7 they issued the聽Kathmandu Call for Action to End Child Marriage in Asia.听
The African Union has pledged to end child marriage within a generation.
Find out more about child marriage and read all about the #EducationCountdown campaign and the 500 Days targets.