The United Nations General Assembly has established November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, in a move aimed at strengthening global efforts to protect children and end marriages involving those under 18.
The General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution on September 4, with Sierra Leone leading the initiative and more than 66 countries co-sponsoring it, according to the Inter Press Service (IPS) and organizations involved in the campaign. The resolution calls on governments, UN agencies, civil society and other stakeholders to use the day for public awareness, advocacy and education, while encouraging countries to develop comprehensive strategies to eliminate child, early and forced marriage.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) welcomed the global focus on the issue, saying child marriage remains a major human rights concern. The agency estimates that 640 million girls and women alive today were married during childhood, while about 12 million adolescent girls are married before reaching 18 every year.
UNFPA says child marriage can have long-term consequences for girls’ education, health, economic opportunities and ability to make decisions about their own lives. Girls married during childhood are also at greater risk of adolescent pregnancy, complications during pregnancy and childbirth, social isolation and intimate partner violence.
The new international day is intended to keep the issue on the global agenda and encourage governments to move beyond awareness campaigns toward stronger laws, enforcement and social programs. Advocacy groups have also called for sustained investment and accountable institutions capable of preventing child marriage and protecting girls at risk.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan remains a particularly serious concern in the global fight against child marriage. UNICEF says one-third of Afghan girls marry before the age of 18, while girls continue to face major barriers to education.
UNICEF reported in August that more than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied secondary education since 2021, leaving many out of school and increasing their exposure to risks including early marriage, child labor, abuse and gender-based violence. The agency says Afghanistan is currently the only country where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women.
UNICEF has warned that keeping girls out of school removes an important protective environment against early marriage and other forms of exploitation. The agency has urged Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to restore girls’ access to secondary education and protect their rights and future opportunities.
