Every instance of child marriage forecloses a world of possibilities for a young girl—and every year, 12 million girls are married before their 18th birthdays. These girls are robbed of the opportunity to grow up safe and healthy and to pursue an education. In turn, the world loses their participation, their talents, and their ideas.
I am so grateful to @FirstLadyBio for her work to champion today's adopted U.N. resolution to establish an International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. As First Lady of Sierra Leone, she has led her country to push for change alongside Cape Verde, Costa Rica, and Morocco.
Child marriage remains one of the most urgent, preventable violations of girls’ rights. Today's resolution is an important step in the fight to recognize the right of girls and young women to freely and boldly decide their own futures.
We need even more resources and more political will to tackle this scourge. Everyone who sees this message can become a part of ending child marriage.
A great place to start is by reading @ColumbiaIGP’s report on Accelerating Efforts to End Child Marriage, which I was proud to collaborate on with Dr. Maada Bio and @sherylsandberg earlier this year. Find it here: https://t.co/XTR45y8DGi