Advocate Karen McKenzie – Head of Human Rights V IOLENCE A GAINST W OMEN AND G IRLS : A DDRESSING C HILD, E ARLY AND F ORCED M ARRIAGE IN THE C OMMONWEALTH

Overview -Gender based violence in the Commonwealth – harmful practices -Definition of CEFM -Global and Commonwealth prevalence -Drivers, impact and solution to CEFM -International action to address CEFM -Commonwealth action to address CEFM -Empowering communities to end CEFM

What is Early and Forced Marriage ( CEFM) Child marriage occurs when one or both spouses are below the age of 18. (CRC;UNFPA 2010)

Global statistics on CEFM 720 million women alive today were married or entered into union before their 18th birthday Each year, 15 million girls marry before the age of 18 It is estimated that by 2030, the number of girls who will be married off will rise to 15.1 million a year if nothing is done to end child marriage in this generation There are much higher incidence rates in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa Rural girls are twice as likely to be married off (Royal Commonwealth Society & Plan UK)

Prevalence rates of CCEFM in the Commonwealth Around 375 million women alive today were married or entered into union before their 18th birthday - this is over 16 percent of the Commonwealth’s population, and amounts to 52 per cent of women aged over 18 years old in the Commonwealth 43 per cent of women in the Commonwealth are married before they reach 18 years old. This amounts to over 44 million year-olds who were married as children Approximately 8.8 million women in the Commonwealth are married as children annually, that’s 24,000 girls every day, or 17 girls every minute (Royal Commonwealth Society & Plan UK) 13 Commonwealth States have received UPR recommendations in relation to CEFM including Australia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Zambia

Contributing factors to CEFM Gender inequality Poverty resulting in the perception of girls as burdens that must be discharged Traditional and religious practices that place a value on ‘honor’, ‘virginity’ and ‘marriage as a means of preventing immoral behaviour Weak laws and/or lack of knowledge of the local laws Lack of enforcement, oversight, and monitoring of legislation setting the legal age of marriage at 18 for both boys and girls Civil and armed conflicts, and disasters

Effects of CEFM The right to education The right to health and reproductive rights The right to be free from violence

Best practice and impactful interventions to end CEFM include Legal reform Enforcement of laws Increased girls’ education Community sensitization and assessment of impact Data collection

International commitments to end CEFM The Universal Declaration on Human Rights The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

International commitments to end CEFM The UN General Assembly Resolution 2018 The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) The Human Rights Council Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Commonwealth Mandate on CEFM Commonwealth Charter Commonwealth Law Minister’s Meetings Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013

The Commonwealth’s work on CEFM Commonwealth Roundtable on CEFM 2013 Contribution to OHCHR report 2014 Kigali Declaration Child marriage dialogues Special session on CEFM at the Commonwealth Women’s Forum Special sessions at the African Union Girl Summit

Commonwealth work – niche areas Niche areas: National Human Rights Institutions Parliaments and Parliamentarians Men and boys Regional platforms Traditional Leaders and Governance Structures

Commonwealth work – niche areas Niche areas: National Human Rights Institutions Parliaments and Parliamentarians Men and boys Regional platforms Traditional Leaders and Governance Structures

Enabling community leadership Empowering traditional governance structures through Chief Alliances: “In my view, Chiefs as custodians of culture and traditions have people holding them in high esteem thus making them better advocates of positive change in their communities and beyond. There is need for them to passionately add their voice to the fight against child marriage which is considered a private family matter, governed by religion and culture.” Senior Chief Inkosi Kachindamoto, Dedza District, Malawi

Enabling community leadership Empowering survivors: Champions against child marriage “There are thousands of girls in child marriages and they have been forgotten by society. My appeal is we should allow any girl who wants to return to school to do so without being discriminated against.c Enala Ngulo, Karonga, Malawi – married at 13, Enala returned to school to complete her education. She now supports her six daughters in their studies.

Enabling community leadership Karonga District Malawi Chief alliance against child marriage

Presented by:Advocate Karen McKenzie Tel: November 2015