A/HRC/RES/53/23
of all human rights by all women and girls1 and the report of the Secretary-General on the
issue of child, early and forced marriage,2
Noting the gains made in ending child, early and forced marriage, including the
decrease in the proportion of girls who were married before 18 years of age in the past decade
from one in four to approximately one in five, and noting with appreciation the ongoing
United Nations Population Fund and United Nations Children’s Fund Global Programme to
End Child Marriage in this regard, while expressing deep concern that progress has been
uneven across regions, that millions of people live in situations of forced marriage, that it is
estimated that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has already reduced the
number of averted child marriages since 2020 by one quarter and that existing data show that,
at the current pace of progress, target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which
includes ending the practice by 2030, will not be met in any region of the world,
Reaffirming that human rights include the right to freely choose a spouse, to enter into
marriage only with free and full consent and to have control over and to decide freely and
responsibly on matters relating to sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of
coercion, discrimination and violence, and recognizing that equal relationships in matters of
sexual relations and reproduction, including full respect for dignity, integrity and bodily
autonomy, require mutual respect and consent and the freedom to choose whether to marry
and whether to have sexual relations,
Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage constitutes a violation, abuse and
impairment of human rights and a harmful practice that prevents individuals, especially
women and girls, from living their lives free from all forms of discrimination and violence,
that it has wide-ranging and adverse consequences for the enjoyment of human rights, that it
is a form of sexual and gender-based violence and that it perpetuates other forms of violence
against women and girls and other harmful practices and human rights violations, and that
such violations and abuses have a disproportionately negative impact on all 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 the practice of forced marriage,
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, including inclusive and
equitable quality education programmes on forced marriage in particular, and that the
gathering of information and disaggregated data on these arrangements will help in the
development of responses for those affected,
Recognizing further that a forced marriage involves the inability of at least one of the
parties to freely choose a spouse and enter into marriage with their full, free and informed
consent, and could also involve a marriage in which one of the parties wants to end or leave
it but is not able to, and that as such the practice is a violation, abuse or impairment of human
rights,
Recognizing that any party to a marriage, but disproportionately women and girls, may
not be empowered to refuse marriage, therefore reflecting a lack of prior, full, free and
informed consent, in particular in cases of sexual and gender-based violence and other forms
of violence, abuse of power, unequal power dynamics, fear, coercion, duress, threats,
intimidation or emotional, psychological, family, economic, cultural or social pressure,
Deeply concerned that, in some cases, guardians have the legal authority to consent
to marriage for women and girls, in accordance with customary or statutory law that may
violate or abuse the human right to freely choose a spouse and enter into marriage with free,
full and informed consent, such as in cases of levirate marriage, marriages following payment
to parents, guardians, family members or another person or group or the cancellation of debt
or for settling family disputes, while recognizing that family members have a responsibility
1
2
2
A/HRC/52/50.
A/77/282.