Photo: Sarah Hylton / AJWS
Child, Early, & Forced Marriages & Unions and Sexuality Working Group
The Child, Early, & Forced Marriages & Unions (CEFMU) and Sexuality Working Group comprises international and national organizations working with and for adolescent girls to advance their rights and opportunities. We develop resources and engage in advocacy to draw attention to the under-addressed issue of how patriarchal control of adolescent girls’ and young women’s sexuality acts as a driver of CEFMU.
Featured Resource
Are existing laws on child, early and forced marriages and unions working for adolescent girls and young women?
Position statement and recommendations
Laws that establish 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage have been a cornerstone of advocacy to prevent child, early and forced marriages and unions for decades. The emerging evidence on the impact of these laws is cause for concern. The CEFMU and Sexuality Working Group calls for investment in research that can teach us how laws can be better formulated and implemented to advance the rights of adolescent girls and young women.