The Far-Reaching Economic Impacts of Child Marriage
Every minute of every day, 28 girls under age 18 are married off against their will. Child marriage has broad and devastating impacts, and a new study from the World Bank…
Girls Not Brides is a global network of more than 1,500 civil society organisations from over 100 countries committed to ending child marriage. Girl Not Brides envisions a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.
The strength and passion of Girls Not Brides lies in their member organisations, who are based across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. They work to end child marriage and make sure that all girls around the world can stay in school, stay healthy and have the futures they dream of.
In around 30 countries and states, Girls Not Brides members have decided to work collectively to accelerate progress to end child marriage in their countries or states by forming civil society coalitions. In 12 countries and states, they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and become official Girls Not Brides National or State Partnerships. National Partnerships are those that operate across a country, while State Partnerships are those that operate at a sub-national level, often in decentralised or federalised systems such as India.
Girls Not Brides member organisations are supported by a secretariat based in London, Mexico City, Nairobi, and New Delhi. The secretariat works with member organisations and supporters to advance the knowledge base on child marriage, raise awareness of the issue, and campaign for legal and social change.
Girls Not Brides’ vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.
(images provided by Girls Not Brides, illustrations by Marcela Quiroz)
Every year 14 million girls are married as children, robbed of their childhood and opportunity for education.
GNB unites global leaders and grassroots voices to end child marriage.
Mabel van Oranje describes GNB as a movement that shares knowledge about what is working, and what is not.
Girls Not Brides envisions a world without child marriage, where girls can exercise their rights and achieve their full potential.
Girls Not Brides works as a global partnership to support members and national coalitions through advocacy, communications, and evidence-based solutions to end child marriage, and bring together new actors including governments, the United Nations, and civil society to build a strong ecosystem of partners working together to end the practice.
Founder, Girls Not Brides
Mabel van Oranje has been an advocate for freedom, justice, and development for two decades. She was the first CEO of The Elders and led the organization’s evolution into a credible force for peace-building, justice and human rights worldwide. She initiated Girls Not Brides (GNB) and chaired its board of trustees from 2008 to2012. Initially sponsored by The Elders as a membership organization, GNB unites global leaders and grassroots voices to end child marriage. Its member organizations range from the largest international NGOs to community based organizations, filling a void and building a movement, sharing experience and learning from each other. Mabel has been recognized for her leadership in many roles, including co-founder and executive chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, board and advisory board roles for the Open Society Foundations, Crisis Action, Global Witness, and her roles in launching War Child, Publish What You Pay, Independent Commission on Turkey, and the International Criminal Court.
Every minute of every day, 28 girls under age 18 are married off against their will. Child marriage has broad and devastating impacts, and a new study from the World Bank…