#NOTBefore18 Child Marriages and Early Unions
Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) present a serious human rights issue affecting millions of girls and adolescents worldwide.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the prevalence of CEFMU has not substantially changed in the last 25 years. It is a normalized reality perpetuated through gender stereotypes that assign girls the roles of wives and mothers. It is also an institutionalized practice within the legal frameworks of the region’s countries.
For this reasons, the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI elaborated a “Hemispheric Report on Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions in the States Party to the Belém do Pará Convention” to study of the causes and consequences of these harmful practices.
Throughout the region, CEFMUs are not part of the public agenda, registering very little progress in addressing and eradicating this harmful practice.
To reinforce the dissemination of the findings and recommendations of this report, MESECVI and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have joined forces in a campaign that invites reflection on the harmful impact of CEFMU and the need to put an end to tolerance towards these practices.
