Global Leaders Unite in New York to Combat Child Marriage During UNGA Week
Global Leaders Unite in New York to Combat Child Marriage During UNGA Week
In a significant event held on September 26, 2025, Just Rights for Children (JRC), a prominent global civil society network aimed at eradicating sexual crimes against children, welcomed leaders from around the world in New York City for a dedicatory session under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly. The gathering sought to bolster enforcement measures and promote international collaboration in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which aims to eliminate child marriage and related practices by 2030.
The high-level side event titled Creating a Child Marriage Free World: Building a Case for Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution, highlighted best practices while centering on the voices of survivors. Bhuwan Ribhu, the founder of JRC, made a passionate call to action for heads of state, governments, civil society leaders, and jurists to unite in addressing the escalating crisis affecting marginalized children globally, particularly focusing on the alarming issue of child marriage.
"Child marriage, abuse, and violence are not just injustices; they are crimes," Ribhu stated. He expressed confidence that the eradication of child marriage was within reach. By joining forces, the global community could ensure that incidences of child marriage and abuse would be thoroughly prosecuted and prevented, both legally and socially.
The event, organized in tandem with the Office of H.E. Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, and in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone and the Government of Kenya, had influential partners such as the World Jurist Association and Jurists for Children Worldwide contributing to its agenda. A notable highlight of the convening was the launch of a comprehensive child-free marriage campaign aimed at amassing the largest global civil society coalition devoted to ending child marriage.
Ribhu emphasized that this dialogue emerged from a unified demand from leaders across various continents recognizing child marriage as a criminal issue, spanning civil, educational, governmental, and economic domains.
The event also presented H.E. Dr. Fatima Maada Bio with the inaugural Champions of Change Award, acknowledging her leadership in abolishing child marriage through the enactment of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2024, which disallows marriage for individuals under 18 years of age without exceptions.
"I do not accept this award for myself alone. It belongs to every individual in Sierra Leone who has participated in this journey with me," Dr. Bio declared.
During the session, various esteemed speakers shared their insights and experiences. Among them was Dr. Najat Maalla M'jid, the United Nations Special Representative on Violence Against Children, who pointed out that despite widespread legal frameworks prohibiting child marriage, the practice still represents a global menace, affecting one in five girls worldwide. Furthermore, she called attention to the need for solutions that tackle the interconnected issues such as poverty, lack of economic empowerment for women, and humanitarian crises that intensify this challenge.
Other prominent voices included Ms. Carren Ageng'o from the Kenyan government, who underscored the necessity for sustained investment in programs directed at children and youth, while Ms. Isabelle Rome, France's Ambassador-at-Large for Human Rights, declared the issue a matter of public health and justice, highlighting JRC’s focus on prevention and prosecution as essential.
The gathering underscored the urgency and collective responsibility to safeguard children's rights and futures. Participants shared powerful testimony, including a survivor from Zimbabwe named Samantha, who poignantly described the psychological scars that accompany child marriage, illustrating that the true damage often goes beyond physical harm.
Just Rights for Children International remains dedicated to creating the world’s largest civil society network focused on leveraging the law for the protection, prevention, and prosecution of crimes against children. Using actions like community mobilization and legal intervention, JRC has successfully prevented over 390,000 child marriages in India between April 2023 and September 2025, rescued more than 105,000 children from trafficking and forced labor, and brought forward tens of thousands of legal cases against perpetrators.
Through collective action and global solidarity, JRC and its partners are committed to building a future free from child marriage and violence, ensuring that every child can enjoy their childhood in safety, dignity, and possibility.
Topics Policy & Public Interest）
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