Mary Robinson discusses The Elders’ campaign to end child marriage as both a moral imperative in its own right, and as a global development and foreign policy priority, at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Why is child marriage the focus of the International Day of the Girl? How can we end this harmful practice that affects millions of girls every year? How can advocates and activists – especially young people all around the world – take a stand against child marriage?
On 11 October Mary Robinson, Christy Turlington Burns, experts and activists answered your questions and discussed child marriage in a live online conversation.
“Every three seconds, another girl becomes a child bride.”
11 October marks the first ever International Day of the Girl Child: a chance to amplify the voice of millions of girls everywhere being married off before the age of 18. Join Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu in celebrating Day of the Girl. Help us end child marriage.
In February 2012 four Elders travelled to Bihar, India, to meet a group of young people campaigning to stop child marriage. After listening to the teenage girls and boys, Desmond Tutu, Ela Bhatt, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson raised the issue with Bihar's Chief Minister, urging him to support the growing movement to end this harmful practice.
Elders Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu, who travelled to Ethiopia in June 2011 to bring together experts and activists working to end child marriage around the world, say we can end this harmful practice in one generation.
Just ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mary Robinson blogs about The Elders' plans to put ending child marriage at the top of the international agenda.
At the World YWCA International Women's Summit in Zurich, July 2011, Mary Robinson speaks about the role of girls and young women as human rights defenders and leaders of their communities.
In June 2011 Elders Gro Brundtland, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu travelled to Ethiopia to visit communities affected by child marriage and convene a meeting of experts and activists working to end child marriage around the world.
Just ahead of the 100th International Women's Day, Mary Robinson speaks to USA Today about the importance of ending child marriage and how The Elders can help tackle this harmful practice.
Speaking at an international conference held in Paris, February 2011, Mary Robinson discusses the relationship between religion, tradition and gender inequality. Citing the issue of child marriage as one example, she argues that promoting the rights of girls and women cannot be imposed on a society; instead, we must support activists working to change their culture from within.
