Direct Link to Full 144-Page 2022 Report:  GEMS-2022_Report_EN_V8.pdf (walkfree.org)

Forced marriage is a human rights violation and a harmful practice that leads to the infliction of physical, mental, or sexual harm or suffering. It has both short- and long-term consequences, and negatively impacts the capacity of individuals to realize their full rights. Within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all member states have committed to eliminate child, early, and forced marriages (Goal 5.3). Forced marriage refers to situations where a person has been forced to marry without their consent. As set out in the joint general recommendation of the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), child marriage is considered a form of forced marriage, given that one and/or both parties cannot express full, free, and informed consent. However, in many countries 16 and 17-year-olds who wish to marry are legally able to do so following a judicial ruling or with parental consent.

Source: WUNRN – 17.11.2023