Stories
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
The first African Summit to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage convened by the governments of Senegal and The Gambia, in partnership with the survivor-led NGO, Safe Hands for Girls, and with the support of multilateral organizations, including UN Women, UNFPA and the World Bank, took place in Dakar, Senegal on 16-18 June 2019.
Speech: African youth lead the way on ending harmful practices
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Remarks by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at the first African Summit on Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage in Dakar, Senegal on the African Day of the Child
Monday, June 17, 2019
UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, represented the United Nations at the first African Summit on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage taking place in Dakar, Senegal on June 16-18. The summit aims to translate the commitment of governments, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders into action on the ground that eliminates these harmful practices.
Strong partnerships and bold actions to stamp out child marriage and FGM
Friday, March 15, 2019
On the margins of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, a high-level side event on “Accelerating the elimination of harmful practices to reap the demographic dividend in Africa” convened Member States, civil society, youth and development partners to discuss decisive measures to eliminate child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) across the continent.
Getting Fatouma back to school
Monday, January 7, 2019
UN Women supports girls and young women in Mali to pass high school exams – and to pursue their dreams.
Take five: “We must support women and girls, especially survivors, to lead change”
Friday, December 14, 2018
Jaha Dukureh, Regional UN Women Ambassador for Africa, is a survivor of FGM and was forced into child marriage at age 15. Recently, she participated at the “North Africa Sub-Regional Dialogue on Child Marriage and FGM/C”, organized by UN Women Regional Office for Arab States and North Africa in November 2018. In this interview, Ms. Dukureh speaks to UN Women about how best to address the particular vulnerabilities faced by migrant women and girls.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
In her remarks at the Community Dialogue on Ending Child Marriages in Sindh, Pakistan, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka called on all members of the community, including leaders, parents and educators to say no to child marriage.
Traditional leaders across Africa move the needle against child marriage and FGM
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Working with traditional leaders, UN Women and partners are building impetus for a continent-wide commitment to end child marriage and female genital mutilation in Africa.
In India, women boycott weddings with child brides
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Across five rural Indian states, thousands of women have joined Women Peer Groups, which are using everything from protests to pledging ceremonies as part of a UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women-supported violence-prevention programme for ethnic minority women.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Aissa Doumara Ngatansou is a 46-year-old mother of three children from the Far North Region of Cameroon. She co-founded a branch of the Association for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (ALVF) in the city of Maroua in 1996. ALVF works with survivors, and advocates with decision-makers to end early and forced marriages, and other forms of gender-based violence.
From where I stand: “I saved a life”
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Malti Tudu, 20, from a village in Kishangunj district, Bihar, India is among a group of young passionate activists who are trying to stop child marriage, which affects one in four girls in the state of Bihar.
Speech by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner on eliminating child marriage in Africa
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Remarks by Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Asa Regner, at the high-level side event, “Accelerating Efforts to Eliminate Child Marriage in Africa by 2030” during the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.
Young men help to fight early marriages in Kosovo’s minority communities
Friday, July 27, 2018
In Kosovo, young men are volunteering to go door-to-door in minority communities to prevent early marriages and encourage girls' education.
Monday, March 19, 2018
At the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women side event Accelerating Efforts to Eliminate FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage by 2030, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo -Ngcuka said "It takes a man and a boy and a father and a brother to say: not my sister; not my child, not my cousin, so that this is not a fight that only the girls are waging."
Executive Director’s blog series: Ending child marriage
Thursday, November 30, 2017
In the sixth piece in a 16-part blog series by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
Rural women tackle drought-affected Mozambique’s rise in child marriage
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
More than 2 million people across Mozambique, especially in the southern and central regions, have been affected by severe drought since 2015. The prolonged crisis has exhausted household food stock, disrupted lives and livelihood. For Mozambican women and girls, who are primarily responsible for managing food and water for their families, the drought has also meant increased work burden and earlier marriages, leading to lost childhood, education and opportunities.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
On Saturday September 23, 2017, Lupita Nyong’o and Freida Pinto took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York to speak out on gender equality, urging 60,000 Global Citizens gathered in Central Park and millions watching around the world to take action to level the playing field for girls and women.
Presidents of Malawi, Uganda and Zambia call for accelerated action to end child marriage in Africa
Monday, September 18, 2017
On the margins of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the governments of Zambia and Canada, with support from UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA and the African Union Commission, hosted a high-level side event for global leaders to renew their commitments and accelerate efforts to end child marriage in Africa by 2030.
Central America and the Caribbean make historic strides to end child marriage
Friday, September 15, 2017
Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador and Guatemala abolish discriminatory legislation which allowed this harmful practice against girls and adolescent women
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“When girls are educated, everything is possible.”
Friday, March 10, 2017
Malawi Chief, nicknamed “The Terminator” for annulling thousands of child marriages, receives prestigious Vital Voices award; UN Women’s Habiba Osman among the honourees for her role in promoting positive social norms