{"id":1070,"date":"2023-11-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.girlsnotbrides.org\/en\/articles\/highlights-from-the-leaders-convening-to-end-child-marriage-and-support-adolescent-girls-in-cape-town\/"},"modified":"2023-11-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-18T00:00:00","slug":"highlights-from-the-leaders-convening-to-end-child-marriage-and-support-adolescent-girls-in-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.girlsnotbrides.ctechapp.com\/?p=1070","title":{"rendered":"Highlights from the Leaders Convening to End Child Marriage and Support Adolescent Girls in Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of the ongoing collaboration<\/a> between Girls Not Brides<\/i>: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage<\/i><\/a>,<\/i> Girls First Fund<\/a>, VOW for Girls<\/a>, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation<\/a>, Clooney Foundation for Justice<\/a>, and Girls Opportunity Alliance<\/a>, dedicated activists and leaders joined together at The Centre for the Book, an outreach unit of the National Library of South Africa, united in their efforts<\/a> to end child marriage<\/a> and support adolescent girls.<\/p>\n

Speakers included Gra\u00e7a Machel, Michelle Obama, Melinda French Gates, Amal Clooney, Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, Lakshmi Moore, Memory Banda, Rebeca Gyumi, Kadidiatou Konate, and Ulanda Mtamba.<\/p>\n

Leaders from around the world gather together to amplify voices to end child marriage<\/h2>\n

The heartbeat of the event was the Ending Child Marriage discussion, comprising of a panel of experts working with and in their communities to end child marriage. Chaired by Program Director at Girls First Fund<\/a> Lakshmi Moore, Founder and Executive Director of the Msichana Initiative<\/a> Rebeca Gyumi, Executive Director of the Young Leaders Club of Guinea Kadidiatou Konate, and Country Director of Advancing Girls\u2019 Educationin Africa<\/a> Ulanda Mtamba shared their expertise on how to end child marriage, including and strategies that have made an impact in their country.<\/p>\n

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“We don’t need one leader, we need many, at the global, national, and community levels”<\/p>\n

Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO of Girls Not Brides. Photo: The Obama Foundation<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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“Legal frameworks are critical in setting standards of what is and is not allowed. But it is not effective alone.”<\/p>\n

Rebeca Gyumi, Executive Director of the Msichana Initiative, and the Tanzania Ending Child Marriage Network. Photo: The Obama Foundation<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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“We are powerful and we can change this world.”<\/p>\n

Kadiatou Konate, Executive Director of the Young Girl Leaders Club of Guinea. Photo: The Obama Foundation<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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“Enough of girls becoming mothers before 18 – it is a human rights violation.”<\/p>\n

Ulanda Mtamba, Malawi’s Country Director of Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa. Photo: The Obama Foundation<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This was followed by a panel of global leaders, including Former First Lady of Mozambique and South Africa and Girls Not Brides<\/i> global champion Gra\u00e7a Machel, Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, global philanthropist Melinda French Gates, and leading human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.<\/p>\n

The event served as a resounding call to action to act now to end child marriage.<\/p>\n

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Leaders Convening to End Child Marriage and Support Adolescent Girls in Cape Town panel. Photo: The Obama Foundation<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Raising awareness of child marriage around the world and the need for collective action<\/h2>\n

The event was covered by media outlets from around the world, exemplifying the power of unified voices and collective action in raising awareness of the issue of child marriage. Coverage highlights include:<\/p>\n