By Khalea Callender - World YWCA
Presented at the UN Human Rights Council Panel on "Harmful Traditional Practices" - 17th June, 2014
I am here representing the World YWCA which is one of the largest international women's rights movements reaching 25 million women and girls in over 120 countries. The World YWCA's Strategic Framework has three goals focused on promoting women's intergenerational and transformative leadership; advancing women's rights through advocacy, programmes and services; and building a strong movement with good governance. Within this context, it prioritises young women's leadership, violence against women, and sexual and reproductive rights and HIV.
The practice of child, early and forced marriage is widespread and occurs in all regions of the world. The World YWCA recognises that it constitutes a violation, abuse or impairment of human rights, it prevents individuals from living their lives free from all forms of violence and it has adverse consequences on the enjoyment of human rights, such as the right to education, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual and reproductive health rights.
According to an UNFPA report, globally, an estimated 1 in 3 young women aged 20 to 24 are married before the age of 18. If present trends continue, an estimated 142 million girls will be married by their 18th birthday by 2020. The World YWCA recognises that child marriage is an unacceptable violation of the rights of children, particularly adolescent girls with long term negative consequences on their health and wellbeing. It denies these children their childhood, disrupting their access to education, limiting their ability to participate in economic and social spheres, and jeopardising their health. It renders girls and young women more vulnerable to intimate partner violence, including sexual violence and can increase the risk of HIV.
Child, early and forced marriage is not limited to Africa and Asia as many may believe. In the Caribbean, and a lot of other countries in the world, this human rights violation is associated with teenage pregnancy. "The State of World Population 2013," produced by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), notes that out of the 7.3 million births, 2 million are to girls who are 14 or younger, many of whom suffer "grave long-term health and social consequences from pregnancy." The reality is that teenage pregnancy is most often not the result of a deliberate choice but rather the absence of choices, and of circumstances beyond a girl's control. It is a consequence of little or no access to school, employment, quality information and health care.
Извор: WUNRN – 04.07.2014
