“It is ambitious to say that we can end child marriage by 2030, but I am convinced it is possible.”

Writing for Impatient Optimists, Gro Harlem Brundtland argues that including an end to child marriage in the UN’s new development goals would do much to empower girls, provide them with opportunities and ensure their well-being.

“To be successful in eradicating child marriage by 2030, there is no village, no township, no corner of this great continent that should not hear the message that child marriage can end.”

Following a meeting with Girls Not Brides member organisations from across Africa last year, Graça Machel urges African civil society to unite in their efforts to end child marriage.

“I call on men and boys everywhere to take a stand against the mistreatment of girls and women. It is by standing up for the rights of girls and women that we truly measure up as men.”

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Desmond Tutu argues that child marriage is a form of violence. Writing for the Skoll World Forum and CNN, he urges men and boys to challenge harmful traditions and protect the rights of girls and women.

"Girls have no status, no protection and no prospects in many families and communities – and this is simply the way things are. Inequality is so entrenched that it isn’t even questioned."

In a blog for DFID (the UK Department for International Development) on the inaugural International Day of the Girl, Graça Machel welcomes the focus on child marriage as an entry point to achieving universal education, health and economic development worldwide. She argues that only by ending child marriage can we empower girls and women – to the benefit of everyone in society.