E/2007/27 E/CN.6/2007/9 by enacting and enforcing legislation to prohibit this form of violence and to end impunity”. 67. At its 13th meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution on ending female genital mutilation, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. D, resolution 51/2). 68. After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the representative of the United States and the observer for the Holy See. Forced marriage of the girl child 69. At the 11th meeting, on 7 March, the representative of the United States of America introduced a draft resolution entitled “Forced and early marriage” (E/CN.6/2007/L.4), which read as follows: “The Commission on the Status of Women, “Reaffirming the obligations of all States to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stated in the Charter of the United Nations and guided by the purposes and principles of human rights instruments, “Reaffirming also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that men and women of full age have the right to marry and to found a family, and that marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses, “Concerned that there is a gap between countries’ customs, traditions and practices and their laws, as some nations in which forced and early marriage occurs have laws establishing a minimum age of marriage, “Recognizing that early childbearing continues to be an impediment to improvement in the educational, economic and social status of women in all parts of the world, and that forced and early marriage and early motherhood can severely curtail educational and employment opportunities and are likely to have a long-term, adverse impact on the quality of the lives of women and those of their children, “Recognizing that forced and early marriage contributes to girls’ faring disproportionately worse than boys in terms of access to primary school, “Recognizing also that motherhood at a very young age entails complications during pregnancy and delivery and a risk of maternal death that is much greater than average, “Recognizing further that forced and early marriage increases the risk of HIV infection, “Concerned that forced and early marriage can involve threatening behaviour, abduction, imprisonment, physical violence, rape and even murder, “Recognizing that women who marry at a young age are more likely to experience domestic violence than women who marry at an older age, resulting from their lack of status and power in the marriage and household, “Recognizing also that forced and early marriage undercuts international efforts to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS and to improve maternal and child health, survival and welfare, 07-28248 45