UN Declares Global Day to End Child Marriage

The United Nations has designated November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, stepping up global efforts to end the practice.

The resolution led by Sierra Leone and adopted by the General Assembly will accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Observance of the day will create a dedicated global platform to strengthen efforts for the health, education and protection of all children, especially girls.

Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio championed the initiative following a call by Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of the civil society network Just Rights for Children, for greater international attention to child marriage.

Today, the world has spoken with one voice: child, early and forced marriage has no place in our societies. This resolution is far more than symbolic, it is a global mandate for action,” said Dr. Fatima Maada Bio.

Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder, Just Rights For Children (left in dark Kaunda) with first Lady of Republic of Sierra Leone HE Dr. Fatima Maada Bio (c) after passing of the resolution. PHOTO/Courtesy.

The new international day comes against the backdrop of a persistent global crisis, with an estimated 12 million girls married before the age of 18 every year.

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), about 650 million women and girls alive today were married during childhood, highlighting the scale of the challenge despite ongoing efforts to end the practice.

Now is the time for governments to provide decisive leadership to end child marriage by 2030 and ensure education, protection and development of every child to realise their full potential,” said Bhuwan Ribhu.

Tatenda Songore, executive director of Harare-based youth organisation Youth Advocates, echoed the sentiments, saying the resolution gives governments, civil society and communities a stronger platform to demand accountability and drive action.

“We must also work with governments to close the gap between commitments made internationally and what a child actually experiences in a community, school, health facility or home,” he said.

UNICEF data shows globally, about 19 percent of young women aged between 20 and 24 were married before age 18, which translates roughly to one in five. This has fallen from 23 per cent a decade ago.

Despite the decline, the world is not progressing fast enough to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of ending child marriage.

Africa has one of the world's highest burdens of child marriage with UNICEF analysis showing more than 130 million girls and women in Africa were married before age 18.

West and Central Africa has the world's highest prevalence, with about one in three young women married before 18.

Just Rights for Children, a global network dedicated to ending child exploitation and ensuring every child enjoys a safe, healthy and dignified childhood, says it has prevented or stopped more than 550,000 child marriages since 2023.