A/HRC/RES/41/8
forced marriage, including the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage, the Model
Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage developed
by the Southern African Development Community, the Regional Action Plan to End Child
Marriage in South Asia (2015–2018), the Kathmandu Call for Action to End Child Marriage
in South Asia, the Kigali Declaration adopted by national human rights institutions from
Commonwealth countries, the Joint Inter-Agency Programme to End Child Marriage and
Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean, and further encouraging coordinated
approaches to action at all levels,
Welcoming further the recent progress made globally towards ending child, early and
forced marriage, including a decrease in the proportion of girls who were married before the
age of 18 in the past decade from one in four to approximately one in five, while expressing
concern that, despite this global trend, progress has been uneven across regions and that the
current pace of change is not sufficient to fulfil the commitment under target 5.3 of the
Sustainable Development Goals and eliminate child, early and forced marriage by 2030,
Expressing concern that, in some countries and contexts, rates of child, early and
forced marriage are rising, and that every year at least 12 million girls are still married before
they reach the age of 18,
Recognizing that, while child, early and forced marriage primarily has an impact on
women and girls, boys and men can also be subjected to child, early and forced marriage,
and expressing concern that an estimated 1 in 30 boys marry before they reach the age of 18,
Recognizing also that, in some contexts, the practice of child, early and forced
marriage may include informal unions, cohabitation or other arrangements that are not
formalized, registered or recognized by a religious, customary or State authority, that such
arrangements should be addressed in policies and programmes on child, early and forced
marriage, and that the gathering of information and disaggregated data on these arrangements
will help to develop responses for affected girls and women,
Recognizing further that addressing child, early and forced marriage requires a holistic
human rights-based approach, with interventions focused on preventing and ending harmful
practices and on changing social norms and attitudes that underlie the practices, and with
special attention paid to and the meaningful involvement of those who have been subjected
to child, early and forced marriage,
Noting with concern that the incidence and risk of child, early and forced marriage are
highly exacerbated in humanitarian settings by various factors, including insecurity, gender
inequality, increased risks of sexual and gender-based violence, the breakdown of the rule of
law and State authority, the misconception of providing protection through marriage, the use
of forced marriage as a tactic in conflict, lack of access to education, the stigma of pregnancy
outside marriage, the absence of family planning services, disruptions in social networks and
routines, increased poverty and the absence of livelihood opportunities,
Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage is a harmful practice that violates,
abuses and impairs human rights and is linked to and perpetuates other forms of violence and
discrimination against women and girls and harmful practices, including female genital
mutilation, and that such violations have a disproportionately negative impact on women and
girls, and underscoring the human rights obligations and commitments of States to respect,
protect and fulfil the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls, and to
prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage,
Deeply concerned by the impact of deep-rooted and intersecting gender inequalities,
patriarchal values, discriminatory gender norms, stereotypes, perceptions and customs that
are among the primary causes of child, early and forced marriage, as well as other forms of
sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls, and deeply concerned also that
poverty, insecurity, lack of access to education and health services, and adolescent pregnancy
are also among the drivers of this harmful practice, and that it remains common in rural areas,
in humanitarian settings and among the poorest communities,
Recognizing that all members of society, including families, communities and
religious, traditional and community leaders, play an essential role in changing negative
social norms and confronting gender inequality, and recognizing also that empowering
women and girls, including those subjected to child, early and forced marriage, requires their
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