The new provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) direct the secretary of state to develop and implement a plan to prevent child marriage, promote empowerment of girls at risk of early marriage, and target countries where a high prevalence of child marriage is known to occur.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that more than 140 million girls will become child brides in the years ahead. The rate of child marriage accounts for more than 14 million marriages annually, or 39,000 young girls who are forced into a premature marriage each day.

International studies of the practice show that early marriage affects a woman's entire future, her health and her potential. Early marriage usually ends a girl's education, blocks her opportunity to develop vocational skills, increases her risk of becoming a victim of violence, and exposes her to pregnancy before she has fully matured.

Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois was instrumental in the initiatives against child marriage in the VAWA.

Child marriage is "the root cause of many of the world’s most pressing development issues — HIV/AIDS, child mortality and abject poverty," said Durbin in a statement released through his Washington office. Inclusion of child marriage provisions in VAWA put the issue squarely before the public and international partners, he said.

"It is the policy of the U.S. government to end child marriage around the globe. These important steps will change the lives of millions in some of the world’s forgotten places," Durbin said.

The advancement of women and girls is a central element of U.S. foreign policy under the Obama administration. The ambassador-at-large for global women's issues within the State Department plays a leading role in advancing this issue in foreign policy forums.

The advocacy group Girl Up, sponsored by the U.S.-based U.N. Foundation, also celebrates the inclusion of the international provisions in the VAWA and claims some of the credit. Tens of thousands of U.S. girls communicated their opposition to child marriage to lawmakers through this organization — a testament to the power of youth voices — said Girl Up campaign head Melissa Hillebrenner.

"This is an amazing victory for girls, but only a start in the battle to end child marriage," Hillebrenner said. "It is going to take a concerted voice of grass-roots advocates, [nongovernmental organizations], the [United Nations], and champions like Senator Durbin and Representatives McCollum and Schock to root out this practice and give girls a chance to reach their full potential."

UNICEF reported in a recent news release that some parents agree to wed a young girl to another family simply to reduce household need, or because of an attractive dowry offered by the groom's family.      Add Comments>>