Listen to Yvonne O’Neal, member of The Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault here:

Only 10 U.S. States Have Laws Against Child Marriage

New York, NY − The Episcopal Diocese of New York Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Episcopal Relief & Development are pleased to present a webinar on Zoom, Gender-Based Violence Spotlight: The Race to End Child Marriage by 2030, on November 30 at 7:00 PM. Taking place during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the panel brings together experts to discuss the prevalence of child marriage in the United States and abroad.

Fraidy Reiss, founder and executive director of Unchained At Last and a survivor of forced marriage, will facilitate the conversation. She noted, “The world is not on track to keep its promise of ending child marriage by 2030. We’ll discuss how we can ramp up our efforts to end this human rights abuse together.”

According to UNFPA, child marriage is a human rights violation. José-Roberto Luna, a technical specialist from UNFPA will present on the evidence-based strategies to end this harmful practice worldwide, based on the latest global estimates that call for accelerating the action twenty times faster to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Ernest Cajuste of Episcopal Relief & Development, Dr. Lopita Nath of University of the Incarnate Word, and Navya Shah of Too Young To Wed will talk of their experiences in the field and the intersectionality of climate change, economics, cultural norms, gender stereotypes, religion, and other factors contributing to early marriage.

In the United States, Delaware was the first state to pass a law in 2018 against this practice. Since then, nine other states, including New York, have passed laws prohibiting marriage under the age of 18. Says the Right Reverend Matthew F. Heyd, Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, “We believe in the dignity of every person. The campaign to end child marriage proclaims the dignity of all girls and commits to their agency and possibility.”

To learn more, please visit the event page. To register, click here.

  child marriage