Child, early and forced marriage A/RES/79/158 Bearing in mind the crucial importance of civil registration and vital statistics, including births, deaths and marriages, for the realization of the human rights of individuals, especially girls, recalling that the provision of legal identity for all, including birth registration, is included as target 16.9 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and recognizing that full implementation of this target is critical in accelerating progress to prevent, address and eliminate child, early and forced marriage, and will have an impact on the achievement of other targets and goals, Recognizing that men and boys can be affected by child, early and forced marriage and also benefit from gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and should play a role as strategic partners and allies of women and girls, including by supporting women and girls at risk, and that the meaningful engagement of men and boys can contribute to eliminating discriminatory social norms that perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence, as well as harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, ending this practice and achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all their human rights, Recognizing also that families, communities and religious, traditional and community leaders have an essential role to play in eliminating negative social norms and harmful traditional or customary practices and confronting gender inequality, and recognizing further that empowering girls, including already married girls, requires their active and meaningful participation in decision-making processes in all matters affecting them and as agents of change in their own lives and communities, including through women’s organizations and girls-led organizations, with the active support and engagement of their parents, legal guardians, families and care providers, boys and men, as well as the wider community, Recognizing further the need to support girls and women who have been subjected to child, early and forced marriage, as well as their children, and underscoring the importance of removing structural barriers and discrimination that prevent their access to services, including education, social protection and healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive healthcare services, that respond to their specific needs, Expressing deep concern that child, early and forced marriage disproportionally affects girls who have had minimal, disrupted or no access to formal and informal education and is itself a significant obstacle to educational opportunities and the development of employable and life skills for girls and young women, in particular girls who are forced to drop out of school owing to pregnancy, marriage, childbirth and/or childcare and other unpaid care and domestic work responsibilities, as well as stigma relating to menstruation, gender stereotypes and negative social norms that confine married women and girls to the home, and that educational possibilities and opportunities are directly related to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full enjoyment of all their human rights, women’s employment and economic opportunities and their full, effective, equal and meaningful participation in economic, social and cultural development, governance and decision-making, Acknowledging that girls, particularly adolescent girls, including those who are among the poorest, those impacted by armed conflict and by disasters, including internally displaced persons and refugees, those living in rural and remote areas and those in vulnerable situations, are at particular risk of dropping out and not returning to school, thereby increasing their vulnerability to poverty, child, early and forced marriage, early pregnancy, female genital mutilation and all forms of violence, including sexual violence, 24-24151 5/15