A/RES/79/158 Child, early and forced marriage Noting with concern that, owing to school closures, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the digital divides, within and between developed and developing countries, including the gender digital divide, and vast disparities in the availability of learning materials, including access to the Internet and communication devices, particularly in rural and remote areas, while recognizing that, with the increased reliance on virtual learning, many schools, especially in developing countries, lack adequate technology and equipment to provide online teaching, which leads to limited access or lack of access to quality education for many children, particularly girls in vulnerable situations, such as those from poorer families and those living in rural and remote areas, who are far less likely to be able to benefit from online education, skills development, online services and future job opportunities, and that the gender digital divide and the lack of access, ownership and use of digital technologies of women and girls also limits their development of digital skills and, in turn, their ability to access information, including on their rights, reinforcing gender inequality and further increasing their vulnerability to child, early and forced marriage, Recognizing that girls, particularly adolescent girls, are often at greater risk of being exposed to and encountering various forms of discrimination and violence, particularly in digital contexts, including exploitation, abuse and cyberbullying, increasing their vulnerability to child, early and forced marriage, and reaffirming the importance of access to technologies, digital literacy and skills among girls, as well their parents or legal guardians, caregivers, teachers and educators, and including internally displaced children, refugees, migrants, those living in humanitarian situations, as well as those with disabilities and those living in rural and remote areas and from the poorest households, especially in developing countries, Noting with concern that, despite gains in providing access to education, girls are still more likely than boys to remain excluded from education, particularly at the transition from primary to secondary education, and recognizing that the attendance of girls at school can be affected by the expectation for girls to undertake a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work and can further be affected by negative perceptions of menstruation and a lack of means to maintain safe personal hygiene, such as secure, adequate and accessible water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools that meet the needs of girls, as well as violence and harassment on the way to and from and at school, Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage increases vulnerability to all forms of violence and remains a serious threat to the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and to multiple aspects of the physical and psychological health of women and girls, including but not limited to their sexual and reproductive health, significantly increasing the risk of early, frequent and unintended pregnancy, maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, obstetric fistula and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS, and noting that adolescent mothers and their children face higher risks of maternal, prenatal and neonatal complications and other life-threatening conditions, including child and maternal mortality, Recognizing also that the incidence and risk of child, early and forced marriage are highly exacerbated during humanitarian emergencies, situations of forced displacement, armed conflict, public health emergencies and natural disasters because of various factors, including insecurity, increased risks of sexual and gender-based violence, the misconception of providing protection through marriage, gender inequality, lack of access to continuous, inclusive and equitable quality early childhood, primary and secondary education, the stigmatization of pregnancy outside marriage, the absence of family planning services, disruption in social networks and routines, increased poverty and the absence of livelihood opportunities, and that this requires increased attention, appropriate protection measures and coordinated action 6/15 24-24151