Women Development Society (WODES) virtually participated in the meeting on Gender-Based Violence Spotlight: The Race to End Child Marriage by 2030.

Description:

The practice of child marriage is widespread. According to new data from UNICEF, the total number of girls married in childhood is now estimated at 12 million a year. History shows us that women who enter marriage when they are still children frequently suffer from physical and mental trauma, including sexual assault, domestic abuse, and denial of their fundamental rights and prospects.

According to UNICEF, to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 by 2030, progress to end child marriage needs to accelerate dramatically. If we wish to reduce gender-based violence and advance gender equality, we must actively and effectively oppose child marriage.

As a faith-based organization, we will discuss how the church can support vulnerable and marginalized groups in our communities and help bring an end to child marriage, locally and globally.