The effects of child marriage are devastating and far-reaching. Photo illustration by Whitney Kidder. © UNFPA/Whitney Kidder
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Despite widespread condemnation of child marriage, the practice persists around the world, perpetuated by a toxic mix of poverty and gender inequality. Its effects are devastating, yet the issue is often deeply misunderstood.
Dispelling these misperceptions is one of the crucial first steps towards ending child marriage once and for all. Below, UNFPA addresses ten of the biggest myths about the practice, its causes and its consequences.
Myth 1: Child marriage is rare
Child marriage is actually quite common. About 1 in 3 girls in the developing world are married before age 18.
New estimates from UNFPA show that this year alone, 13.5 million children – most of them girls – will be married before they turn 18. About 4.4 million of them will be married before they turn 15. This equals 37,000 child marriages each day.
OECD – Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Development
Full 38-Page 2014 OECD Publication
Извор: OECD
World Report 2015 is Human Rights Watch’s 25th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. It summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide.
In his keynote, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth reflects on a year so tumultuous, “it can seem as if the world is unraveling.” Surveying several of the year’s most daunting security challenges—including the rise of the extremist group Islamic State (also known as ISIS), China’s crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang, and Mexico’s abuse-riddled war on drugs—Roth stresses the important role that human rights violations played in fomenting and aggravating those crises.
The report reflects extensive investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff undertook in 2014, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in question. It also reflects the work of our advocacy team, which monitors policy developments and strives to persuade governments and international institutions to curb abuses and promote human rights.
Извор: Human Rights Watch – 13.02.2015
Committee to Consider Situation in Gabon, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Tuvalu, Denmark, Kyrgyzstan, Eritrea and Maldives
12 February 2015
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will hold its sixtieth session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 16 February to 6 March during which it will review reports presented by Gabon, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Tuvalu, Denmark, Kyrgyzstan, Eritrea and Maldives on how they implement the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
States parties to the Convention commit themselves to ending all forms of discrimination against women in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or other fields. The Committee, a 23-person expert body, monitors compliance with the Convention. It assesses to what extent each State party is meeting its obligations, and makes recommendations for the implementation of the Convention.
At the opening meeting on Monday, 16 February, the Committee will be addressed by a representative of the Secretary-General and adopt its agenda. The Committee will then elect a new Chairperson and Bureau.
Kisojo Model Primary School in Kyenjojo District in Uganda. Photo: UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1482/Shehzad Noorani
GENEVA (12 February 2015) - “Free, quality basic education is a fundamental human right for all, and Governments must not delegate this responsibility to the private sector,” said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh.
The expert’s call comes after African education authorities discussed, among other issues, the possibility of reducing States’ spending on education by promoting the expansion of private education at the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015 held in Kigali, Rwanda, this week.
“I am deeply concerned that some Governments are actively encouraging the growth of private education in basic education,” Mr. Singh said. “Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is an inalienable right of every child. Provision of basic education free of costs is a core obligation of States.”
“Privatisation in education negatively affects the right to education both as entitlement and as empowerment. Moreover, it depletes public investment in education as an essential public service and can lead to abusive practices,” the expert stressed, recalling his 2014 report to the United Nations General Assembly.
