Eradicating Child Marriage

Three influential women—Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates—have expressed their commitment to ending child marriage within a generation. These women, renowned for their humanitarian efforts, joined forces last year to address the issue through their foundations.

During a visit to Malawi, the trio listened to the stories of girls affected by child marriage. In Malawi, 42% of girls are married by the age of 18. One girl, Lucy, shared her emotional journey of resisting early marriage and pursuing education, becoming the first girl in her village to attend university.

Michelle Obama’s organization, Girls Opportunity Alliance, focuses on education, while Amal Clooney works to ensure rural girls are aware of their rights. Melinda French Gates concentrates on improving healthcare, including addressing complications for young girls giving birth. Their collaboration aims to utilize their overlapping areas of expertise for a more effective impact.

These influential women stress the importance of collective efforts and partnerships to address gender inequality.

Amal Clooney believes that outreach is key to addressing the issue. Her program, Waging Justice for Women, funds the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, providing legal aid to rural communities and educating girls about their rights.

While progress has been made in reducing child marriages, Unicef estimates that eliminating child marriage could still take about 300 years. The trio emphasizes the urgency of prioritizing this issue, stating that if world leaders make it a priority, it could be addressed in less than a generation.

Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates are determined to back in-country organizations and emphasize the role of philanthropy and individuals in addressing this critical issue.

_{Repurposed article originally published in the BBC}