UN condemns Zimbabwe child marriages as girl dies after giving birth
Harare, ZimbabweReuters The United Nations has condemned the practise of child marriage in Zimbabwe following the death of a 14-year-old girl after she gave birth at a church shrine, an incident that caused outrage among citizens and rights activists. The case has brought to the fore the practice of child marriage within Zimbabwe’s apostolic churches, […]
UK set to end legal loophole allowing child marriage
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Britain must scrap a legal loophole allowing child marriage “by the back door”, lawmakers said ahead of the introduction of a bill in parliament on Wednesday to raise the minimum age to 18. They said the current law, which allows marriage at 16 with parental consent, sabotaged girls’ futures and condoned […]
Calls for women’s shelters as Kenya reports COVID-19 surge in violence
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation A sharp rise in gender-based violence in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an urgent need for more shelters to help victims and awareness campaigns, women’s rights groups said on Friday. Cases of violence targeting women and girls – including rape, child marriage and murder – rose 36 per cent […]
The Long Read: One pastor’s fight to stop old men marrying young girls in Nigeria
LINUS UNAH, writing for Religion Unplugged, reports on Richards Akonam’s mission to put an end to the “money marriage” tradition in Nigeria…
Thousands of child marriages in Canada spark concern over global leadership
Thomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of girls in Canada have been married before turning 18, researchers said on Monday, warning that a rise in unofficial child marriages could make the practice harder to prevent and call into question the country’s global leadership. More than 3,600 marriage certificates were issued to under-18s – mainly girls married to […]
Dominican Republic bans child marriage amid fears of global rise
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation The Dominican Republic needs to change its culture so that women are seen as more than housewives for this week’s ban on child marriage to work, girls’ rights campaigners said on Thursday. The Caribbean nation has one of Latin America’s highest rates of child marriage and early unions – typically where […]
Pakistan’s kidnappings: Each year 1,000 girls forcibly converted to Islam
KATHY GANNON, of The Associated Press reports on the plight of those girls in Pakistan who are subjected to forced marriage and religious conversion…
Children experiencing an “epidemic of violence” during COVID-19 pandemic says World Vision
Children around the world are experiencing an “epidemic of violence” during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research from World Vision. The research, based on interviews with 763 children and young people aged seven to 19 years in six regions around the world, found that 81 per cent had seen or experienced violence during the […]
Pakistan court orders arrests over Christian teen’s forced marriage
Karachi, PakistanThomson Reuters Foundation A Pakistani court ordered several arrests on Monday in the case of a Christian teenager who was allegedly forced to convert to Islam and marry a 44-year-old Muslim man, an incident that sparked street protests by church groups and rights activists. The high court in Sindh province – where the legal […]
Pakistani police rescue Christian teen forced to convert, marry
Karachi, Pakistan Thomson Reuters Foundation Pakistani police have rescued a missing Christian teenager who was allegedly forced to convert to Islam and marry a 44-year-old Muslim man, her family said on Tuesday after the case sparked street protests and outrage on social media. A court in the city of Karachi ordered police to free the […]