Child marriage is a worldwide problem. It is driven by issues of gender inequality, poverty, societal norms, and insecurity, and it has disastrous effects on societies throughout the globe. Child marriage is devastating because it robs a girl of her youth. A girl’s education is taken away from her when she is pushed into a marriage against her will and instead she is expected to take on adult duties, such as bearing a child, long before she is ready. This is a threat to her life, the lives of her children, and the future of her town, and it violates her rights to boot.
Child marriage is still widely practiced across the world especially in third world countries because it is deeply ingrained in tradition, culture, and customary norms. Even so, this is a gross infringement of the rights of young women. UNFPA reports that one third of females in third world countries are married before the age of 18. About 40 million young women, aged 15 to 19, are married or in civil unions throughout the globe, according to another study that didn’t have a stake in the results. But is there anyone who is striving to put an end to this big problem? Read till the end to find out.
Queen Zaynab to the rescue
Queen ZaynabOtitiObanoris a philanthropist who is working as an ambassador for UNFPA in addition to founding her own non-profit, Queen Zainab Foundation (QZF). Every chance she gets, Queen Zaynab helps those in need, and she’s involved in a lot of projects that help the poor improve their lives. She achieves this by offering her services for free. To provide just one example, she has worked as an ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund among her many other philanthropic roles (UNFPA). She is helping the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) spread the word about the dangers of child marriage and the need of family planning now that the world’s population has reached an all-time high of 8 billion people. Looking at the population in proportion to the available natural resources leads us to the conclusion that if we don’t ration them properly, we’ll run out fast. Education on family planning is crucial, particularly for the poor, so that they may make informed decisions about their own families.
UNICEF and UNFPA have joined hands to end child marriage
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have joined forces to create a global program to accelerate action to end child marriage. This is the first time that existing strategies in areas such as health, education, child protection, nutrition, and water and sanitation have been brought together to address the issue of child marriage in a comprehensive manner. The strategy entails tackling the issue of child marriage throughout a child’s whole childhood, with a particular focus on eliminating persistently harmful societal norms, which are important contributors to the widespread occurrence of child marriage.
While on a mission to put an end to child marriages, Queen Zaynab counsels people living in rural areas, women, and children who have been previously excluded from development programs. Lack of awareness is the most important factor in child marriages according to Queen Zaynab. Her unwavering commitment to empowering community leaders to effect positive change in their areas has had a significant impact on the practices and approaches used by the foundation in its work to create a more promising future.
