Every girl should have the opportunity to learn, make decisions about her own future and reach her full potential. Yet for millions of girls around the world, child, early and forced marriage continues to stand in the way. Today, on International Day of the Girl Child, we stand with the call to end child, early and forced marriage and invest in girls’ rights.

Child marriage has long term effects on girl’s empowerment

Child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) can disrupt girls’ education, limit their opportunities and affect their ability to make decisions about their own lives. Child marriage remains a significant challenge across the countries where the Empowering Women and Girls project works, affecting 47% of women and girls in Bangladesh, 39% in Malawi, 53% in Mozambique, 18% in Pakistan and 10% in Sri Lanka before the age of 18 (Girls Not Brides, Child Marriage Atlas). These numbers represent girls whose education may be interrupted, whose choices may be constrained and whose futures may be shaped by family members and husbands.

Building resources to change social norms on CEFM

Change happens when girls are supported to understand their rights and when the people and systems around them are equipped to support those rights. Through the EWG project, we have developed tools, resources and training that help create these foundations for change, focused on reaching women and girls, as well as community leaders and men and boys. These foundations include:

• Launching Tiene Toa, a physical and online game designed to teach players about women’s rights and ending gender-based violence.
• Launching our EWG Social Protection App, allowing women and girls to find social supports and community programmes in their communities on demand.
• Reaching over 465,000 women and girls through awareness-raising events on human rights, protective legislation and power within.
• Convening 770+ men and boys’ clubs to challenge gender norms and support social change.

Supporting the girl child through holistic efforts to end CEFM

Across the EWG project, we are seeing encouraging signs of change from our actions taken. Families, community leaders, men and boys, civil society organisations and government institutions all have a role to play in creating environments where girls can learn, grow and make decisions about their futures. Through our efforts, we have seen tangible actions including:

• Communities taking greater responsibility for preventing early marriage. We have trained over 4,900 community leaders on the rights of women and girls. These efforts have contributed to a greater commitment to preventing early marriage, violence against girls and girls’ dropout from secondary education.
• Women and girls gaining greater influence over marriage-related decisions. Through the project, women and girls have been supported to understand their legal and human rights. In our communities of focus, we saw women gain greater influence over decisions affecting their lives , as reported in pre and post-program surveys.
• Building a legal system that prevents CEFM. In Malawi, communities adopted community bylaws penalising early marriage and irregular school attendance. In Pakistan, advocacy efforts culminated in the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act 2025, creating a formal legal framework to protect women and girls from early marriage.
  (Adapted from Empowering Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Project: Annual Report 2025 )

The progress made through the EWG project demonstrates what is possible when we work across the wider ecosystem. When women and girls, families, community leaders, civil society organisations and institutions come together, they can challenge harmful practices and create new opportunities for girls.

Ending child, early and forced marriage is about more than preventing a harmful practice. It is about ensuring girls have the opportunity to stay in school, understand their rights, make their own decisions and imagine a future beyond the limitations placed on them. On this International Day of the Girl Child, we stand with the call to end child, early and forced marriage and invest in the girl child.