VOW to End Child Marriage

Every year, millions of couples celebrate their love by getting married and millions of their family and friends celebrate with them. In the U.S. alone, Americans spend $100 billion on weddings think invitations, wedding dresses, rings, venues, flowers, gift registries, honeymoons, and more all on saying “I do.” But at a time when a child is married somewhere in the world every three seconds, who’s invested in making sure that girls can say, “I don’t”? Let’s work together to create a world in which every girl can decide when, if and whom to marry.

VOW gives couples, companies and the public the power to help end child marriage. We believe every girl has the right to a safe and healthy future including the right to choose if, when and whom to marry. VOW is an independent organization developed with the support of Girls Not Brides, the Ford Foundation and Hive.

WHY WE NEED TO END CHILD MARRIAGE

12 million girls across the world are married under the age of 18 every year; some as young as 8 or 9. That’s one girl married every 3 seconds who is robbed of her future, putting her at risk of violence, ill-health and trapping her in poverty. But change is possible. When local organizations work with girls and their communities, they can delay the age of marriage and provide alternatives for girls. Every girl has the right to a safe and healthy future including the right to choose if, when and whom to marry.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 1 in 5 girls in the world is married under 18.
• Girls who marry before the age of 15 are almost 50% more likely to have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner than women who married after 18.
• Over 60% of women (20-24) with no education were married before 18.

li>If current trends on child marriage continue, 150 million more girls will be married in childhood by 2030.

All funds raised by VOW go to the Girls First Fund. The Girls First Fund champions local efforts to ensure all girls can live free from child marriage and reach their full potential. The fund specializes in supporting local organizations, particularly girl-, women- and youth-led groups that work with the most vulnerable girls, working tirelessly to prevent child marriage and advance girls’ rights. The Girls First Fund supports projects in 6 countries around the world: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Niger & Uganda.

Learn more about VOW to End Child Marriage