Hillary Clinton on Girls Not Brides
- By Richard Branson -
- Aug 27, 2012
Thank you for all your feedback on the Girls Not Brides blog published recently. It is good to know that so many of you feel strongly about this issue and want to help change it.
Lots of you called for more action from governments to stop child marriage, while others suggested a shift in education models is the way to tackle the problem.
Hillary Clinton also spoke out on the issue recently after meeting with Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel of The Elders in Pretoria.
She commented: “I want to say a brief word about an issue that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the world, and that’s child marriage. This is an issue that the Elders have taken on. And it’s good that they have, because an estimated one in three girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18. That means they are less likely to get an education, more likely to encounter life-threatening health problems, which shortchanges and shortcuts them and sometimes their lives, and robs their communities and their countries of their skills and talents.
“I support the Girls Not Brides partnership founded by President Mandela. The United States will intensify our diplomacy and development work to end child marriage, and it’s a personal commitment of mine as well as a great value that South Africa, the United States, and so many people around the world share.”
The Elders have called for all adults around the world to take responsibility for stopping child marriage. Let’s start right now – head over to Girls Not Brides to find out more.
Image by US Department of State
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
