Child, Early and Forced Marriage

Urges all States to enact, enforce and uphold laws and policies aimed at preventing and ending child, early and forced marriage and protecting those at risk and to ensure that marriage is entered into only with the informed, free and full consent of the intending spouses;

Calls upon States, with the participation of relevant stakeholders, including girls, religious and community leaders, civil society, women’s and human rights groups, men and boys and youth organizations, to develop and implement holistic, comprehensive and coordinated responses and strategies to eliminate child, early and forced marriage and to support already married girls, adolescents and women, including through the strengthening of child protection systems, protection mechanisms such as safe shelters, access to justice and the sharing of best practices across borders;

Calls upon States and the international community to create an environment in which the well-being of women and girls is ensured by, inter alia, cooperating, supporting and participating in efforts for the eradication of extreme poverty, and reaffirms that investment in women and girls and the protection of their rights are among the most effective ways to end the practice of child, early and forced marriage;

Calls upon States to promote and protect the right of women and girls to education through enhanced emphasis on quality education, including catch-up and literacy education for those who have not received formal education, while recognizing that education is one of the most effective ways to prevent and end child, early and forced marriage and to help married women and girls to make more informed choices about their lives;

Urges Governments to promote and protect the human rights of all women, including their right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence, and to adopt and accelerate the implementation of laws, policies and programmes that protect and enable the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including reproductive rights, in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development,Error: Reference source not found the Beijing Platform for Action¹⁵ and the outcome documents of their review conferences;

Encourages relevant United Nations entities and agencies to continue to collaborate with and support Member States in developing and implementing strategies and policies at the national, regional and international levels to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage, as well as to support already married girls, adolescents and women;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report to the General Assembly, before the end of its seventieth session, on progress towards ending child, early and forced marriage worldwide since the issuance of the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of 2 April 2014,Error: Reference source not found with particular emphasis on high-prevalence countries, best practices for programmes aimed at ending the practice and supporting already married women and girls, gaps in research and implementation and legal reforms and policies related to this matter, using information provided by Member States, United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, civil society and other relevant stakeholders;