Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) commends the United Nations Human Rights Council for its recent adoption of a Resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage during its 29th session. Co-sponsored by 88 states, the resolution passed unanimously on July 2, 2015.
The Resolution demonstrates a growing commitment and global support towards ending child, early, and forced marriage.
New York, 9 July 2015 – Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) commends the United Nations Human Rights Council’s recent Resolution on Child Marriage which reaffirms resolutions 24/23 from September 2013 and General Assembly resolution 69/156 from December 2014, as well as states’ responsibility under international law, including the Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). These legal instruments call on states to act in accordance with international human rights obligations to prevent and eliminate this harmful practice.
Honorable Alban Bagbin, MP (Majority Leader, Ghana), noted the importance of the resolution:
As Majority Leader in the Parliament of Ghana and Chair of the PGA Ghana National Group, I am pleased to see Ghana’s support of this resolution in the UN Human Rights Council’s 29th session. As parliamentarians, it is essential to uphold our role in promoting the human rights of all individuals and ensuring their protection. Child, early and forced marriage not only violates human rights, but it impedes our full potential in sustainable development. It is my hope that the adoption of this resolution will succeed in reaffirming our commitment to end this harmful practice.
PGA members from countries that sit on the Human Rights Council actively promoted the adoption of the resolution and will continue to work on this important issue by endorsing PGA’s Global Parliamentary Declaration to End Child, Early and Forced Marriage. To date, over 200 Members of Parliament have signed the Declaration to support the inclusion of a strong target to end child, early and force marriage in the post-2015 development framework under Goal 5, Target 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, and further commit to ensure implementation in their respective countries.
The adopted resolution, along with a strong target in the post-2015 framework, will create the strengthened efforts needed to holistically prevent and address child, early and forced marriage globally. According to UNICEF, “approximately 15 million girls were married every year before age 18 and more than 700 million women and girls alive today were married before their eighteenth birthday.” Despite legal frameworks in place, these numbers remain high. The UN resolution recognizes the prevalence of child marriage in all regions around the world and highlights its disproportionate effects on women and girls’ human rights, health and development.
Contact:
New York
Ms. Mónica Adame
Senior Program Officer, PGA
Tel. +1-212-687-7755 ext. 108
PGA’s Global Parliamentary Campaign to Prevent and Eliminate Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) seeks to accelerate regional and international efforts to eliminate CEFM by sensitizing parliamentarians on the rights of girls in line with human rights norms and standards; strengthening the national legal framework and/or harmonizing it with international commitments; and building political support for the design, discussion and implementation of national action plans on ending CEFM.
THE CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT & ELMINATE CHILD, EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGE RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM:
PGA receives core support from Sweden and Denmark.