At the conclusion of a four-day visit, members of The Elders feel that momentum is building to tackle child marriage in India. During their visit the Elders met with political and business leaders, UN and NGO representatives as well as communities affected by child marriage and grass roots activists working to end the practice.
At a meeting in New Delhi co-hosted by The Elders and the Population Foundation of India, a group of Indian leaders from government, law, business, the arts and civil society have agreed to become 'champions for an end to child marriage'.
“We believe that by listening to young people addressing child marriage and supporting their communities, we can make a huge difference in one generation” – Mary Robinson.
Desmond Tutu, Ela Bhatt, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson visit a youth-led initiative aimed at preventing child marriage in the Indian state of Bihar, where 69 per cent of women marry before the age of 18.
“We hope to listen to girls affected by child marriage, their parents, their teachers and community leaders – and amplify their needs and concerns in our conversations with government, media and other influential people.”
Ela Bhatt is joined in India by her fellow Elders Desmond Tutu, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson at the start of a week-long visit focusing on the empowerment of girls and women.
Desmond Tutu, Ela Bhatt, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson will visit India, home to an estimated one third of the world's child brides. They plan to meet political and business leaders, UN and NGO representatives and communities affected by child marriage, and will attend a regional meeting hosted by Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage.
“This shouldn’t be such a difficult topic for people of faith. It seems entirely consistent with the teachings of the world’s great religions that men and women are equal in the eyes of God.”
After a meeting with fellow religious leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes about the role faith leaders can play in promoting equality for girls and women.
As Egyptians celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that removed Hosni Mubarak from power, Mary Robinson argues that it is time to challenge the patriarchal norms that continue to restrict women's political participation – and that Egypt's future as a just, democratic and prosperous nation depends on it.
Why did The Elders, “more accustomed to sitting down with government officials in North and South Korea, antagonists in the Middle East or peacemakers in Africa,” decide to launch a global campaign to protect the basic rights of girls and women?
Writing in The Nation, Barbara Crossette interviews members of The Elders about their efforts to bring together a global partnership of organisations working for an end child marriage.
In an interview with Metro International published in eight countries in Europe and the Americas, Graça Machel discusses progress on gender equality in Africa and her long involvement in the struggle to end child marriage. The story was published in English on the Huffington Post.
On the day that the 2011 Nobel Peace Laureates are announced, The Elders give their reactions, commending the decision to recognise the important role women play in resolving conflict and building peaceful societies.
