A/RES/71/175 Child, early and forced marriage remove any provision that enables perpetrators of rape, sexual abuse or abduction to escape prosecution and punishment by marrying their victims; 3. Further calls upon States to strengthen their efforts to ensure the timely registration of births and marriages, especially for individuals living in ru ral and remote areas, including by identifying and removing all physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers that impede access to registration and by providing, where lacking, mechanisms for the registration of customary and religious marriages; 4. Calls upon States to enact, build awareness of, enforce and uphold laws concerning a minimum age of marriage and to progressively amend laws with lower ages of marriage and/or ages of majority; 5. Also calls upon States to promote the meaningful participation of and active consultation with children and adolescents, especially girls, on all issues affecting them and to raise awareness about their rights, including the negative impact of child, early and forced marriage, through safe spaces, for ums and support networks that provide girls and boys with information, life skills and leadership skills training and opportunities to be empowered, to express themselves, to participate meaningfully in all decisions that affect them and to become agents o f change within their communities; 6. Further calls upon States and encourages other stakeholders to address gender stereotypes, discriminatory social norms and harmful practices that contribute to the acceptance and continuation of the practice of child , early and forced marriage, including by raising awareness of its harm and the cost to society at large and by providing opportunities for discussion, in this regard, among others, within communities, including with the involvement of girls and boys, wome n and men, religious, traditional and community leaders, and parents and other family members, on the benefits of ending child, early and forced marriage and ensuring that girls and boys receive an education; 7. Recognizes that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding and that parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, have the primary responsibility for the upbringin g and development of the child, acknowledging the need to support their capacity to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage and reaffirming that the best interests of the child will be their basic concern; 8. Calls upon States to promote and protect the right of women and girls to equal access to education through enhanced emphasis on free and quality primary and secondary education, including catch-up and literacy education for those who have not received formal education or have left school early, including because of marriage and/or childbearing, which empowers young women and girls to make informed decisions about their lives, employment, economic opportunities and health, including through scientifically accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities, with information on sexual and reproductive health, g ender equality and the empowerment of women, human rights, physical, psychological and pubertal development and power in relationships between women and men, to enable them to build self-esteem and informed decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills and to develop respectful relationships, in full partnership with young persons, 4/6