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http://www.worldywca.org/Take-Action/SIGN-THE-PETITION

 

GO TO WEBSITE LINK TO SIGN ON PETITION AGAINST CHILD MARRIAGE.

 

PETITION FOR A SPECIAL UN CSW 57 RESOLUTION TO END CHILD MARRIAGE

 

World YWCA Calls for Signatures

Petition be submitted to the 57TH Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women - 7th March, 2013, New York, USA

We the Petition signed organizations and individuals call on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, at its 57th Session to adopt the following Special Resolution/Statement committing to end child marriage:

Globally, an estimated 1 in 3 young women aged 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18 years. If present trends continue, an estimated 142 million girls will be married by their 18th birthdayby 2020 (UNFPA 2012). Child marriage is an unacceptable violation of the rights of children, especially adolescent girls with long term negative consequences on their health and well being. It denies these children their childhood, disrupting their access to education, limiting their ability to participate in economic and social spheres, and jeopardizing their health – including increasing the risk of dying from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. It renders girls and young women more vulnerable to intimate partner violence, including sexual violence and can increase the risk of HIV. Child marriage resulting from physical and/or emotional force is a form of violence itself. Child marriage can be prevented and eradicated in a single generation.

We therefore call upon Member States working collaboratively with other stakeholders to commit towards:

  1. Ending child marriage in a single generation by 2030.
  2. Including the eradication of child marriage as a key indicator in the post 2015 development agenda;
  3. Investing in education and economic empowerment of girls, boys and young women as critical measures for preventing child marriage;
  4. Scaling-up legislative, administrative and financial efforts for impactful interventions at community levels focused on preventing child marriage, protecting girls at risk and supporting adolescents in marriage;
  5. Calling for similar commitments to be made at all levels including at the Human Rights Council and regional intergovernmental bodies.

Formally to be submitted to the Chair of the Bureau 57th UN CSW on the eve 7th March 2013 in New York.