United Nations: OHCHR report was presented on “Child, early and forced marriage: ending and preventing forced marriage”

During the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the United Nations presented its report “Child, early and forced marriage: ending and preventing forced marriage”, providing human rights-based guidelines for preventing and ending child, early and forced marriage.

The Report emphasizes the human rights violations deriving from such practices, rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, urging States to adopt comprehensive legal, policy and social measures to eradicate them. 

The Report begins underlining the continued prevalence of the phenomenon of child, early and forced marriage. Indeed, around 12 million girls are married every year before reaching the age of 18, with 650 million women and girls alive today having been married as children. While the Report acknowledges that progress has been made and that the global rate has declined, it underlines that the decline is too slow. 

Concerning the human rights violations deriving from such practices, the Report states that forced, early and child marriage violate the rights to education, equality, health, bodily autonomy and freedom from violence. Indeed, there is a higher risk of gender-based violence, early pregnancy, poor health outcomes, interrupted education, economic dependence and lifelong discrimination. 

The Report identified five key guidelines for States. First, the Report asks to “establish a human rights-complaint legal framework”, through which all States establish the minimum marriage age at 18, prohibit forced marriage, ensure birth and marriage registration, remove discriminatory laws and enhance legal aid access for girls and women. Second, the Report asks to “adopt comprehensive human rights-based policies and programmes and appropriate coordination and governance mechanisms”, involving the justice, education, health and social protection sector. Third, the Report asks to “tackle root causes”, including gender inequality, harmful social norms, lack of education, etc. Fourth, the Report underlines the importance of “strengthening protection and facilitating access to justice and support”, by providing shelters, healthcare legal aid, etc to victims and survivors. Lastly, the Report asks to “collect data, monitor progress and ensure accountability”, to evaluate policies, improve accountability and guide evidence-based decision making.