Three of the world’s most influential women Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates are working together to end child marriage within a generation.
After announcing their collaboration to combat child marriage last year, Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates visited Malawi and South Africa together to amplify the work of grassroots organizations.
During their visit to Malawi and South Africa, they met with girls and women affected by child marriage.
According to the NGO, Girls Not Brides, Malawi has one of the highest child marriage rates in Eastern and Southern Africa, with 42% of girls already married by the age of 18. In Mchinji District, where Ludzi Girls school is located, 33% of girls are reported to fall pregnant before they reach 18, and leave education.
The three women, each with a foundation addressing various aspects, aim to tackle the issue collectively. They emphasize the urgency of the problem and believe it can be solved sooner if world leaders prioritize it.
Their collaboration involves supporting grassroots organizations and addressing legal and cultural barriers to combat child marriage.
According to Unicef, 650 million girls and women are alive today who married under the age of 18, and currently, more than 12 million girls a year marry in legal and traditional ceremonies around the world.
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates globally, but this is not just an issue in the global south. Five states in the US have no minimum age of marriage as long as parents consent.
And despite the UN’s warning that child marriage could persist for 300 years at the current rate, these influential women express confidence in making a significant impact.
“This is an urgent issue,” said Mrs. Obama. “We can’t afford to ignore it and assume that we can make headway on all the other big stuff that we’re trying to deal with – poverty, climate change, war, and the rest – unless we’re doing right by 50% of our population.
“It is an issue that can be solved tomorrow. If all the world leaders got together and made it a priority, it wouldn’t take 300 years. It could happen in less than a generation.”