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An individual aware of child marriage can:
(a) Identity oneself as a victim (b) Help young children and married women find stability (c) Make the world a safer place for everyone |
Child marriage is a social issue.
Raising awareness and rallying support are great ways to begin (or join) a movement that can take action against early marriage in your community.
Ways to stop child marriage
Ways to Start:
Talk about it
What is child marriage? Where does it happen? Just starting a discussion can begin engaging individuals and help the existing movement.
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Take A Pledge
Take a pledge today, and ask others to too. Starting with a pledge and commitment to the end result of ending child marriage can be a powerful motivator.
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Stay informed
Subscribe to the Girls Not Brides newsletter, CARE newsletter and tune into other organizations' work. These inform readers on developments and advocacy opportunities in the fight against child marriage. Don't ignore articles that come out on child marriage, as they are often the only mainstream media coverage on the issue.
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End goal to keep in mind:
How can awareness directly prevent child marriage?
1) When you educate and empower girls
They have the opportunity to leave a life of constant dependency, earn their own money and support their own families without giving up their childhood or being forced into lifelong situations of unhappiness.
2) When you educate parents
They are more likely to see how both their sons and daughters can benefit from an education, and how child marriage takes away the opportunities their children are worthy of.
3) When you advocate for women as community leaders
They are more likely to empathize with other women's and girls' struggles, and dissuade girls against child marriage. Community leaders often hold an enormous amount of influence, which in this case, would be wisely used to promote gender equality.
4) Urge men and boys to speak up against child marriage, and in support of the women and girls in their life
Men and boys benefit too! By speaking up for their family and girls in their community, they are allowing their family members happiness, and helping bring about a more just, economically productive society.
Additional ways to help include:
Through Community Involvement
Mobilize community and religious leaders
Support adolescent girls who are already married
Educating and urging local authorities and
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Support
Anti-child marriage and girl empowerment organizations through volunteering and donations (see Volunteer and Donate for more).
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