A Critical Evaluation of Girls Not Brides

A critical evaluation of Girls
Not Brides

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Children's Protection Rights .......................................................................................................3
Children's Provision Rights ........................................................................................................4
Children's participation Rights.....................................................................................................5
Strengths of Girls Not Brides in Protecting the rights and well being of girls ...........................6
Limitations of Girls Not Brides in Protecting the rights and well being of girls.........................6
Steps that Girls Not Brides should take for enhancing its current practices................................6
Strengths of Girls not Brides in considering provision rights and well-being issues of girls in
the context of the child marriage.................................................................................................7
Limitation of Girls not Brides in considering provision rights and well-being issues................7
Girls not Bride requires to improve its recognition of provision rights and well-being issues...8
Strengths of Girls not Brides in involving the participation of children and young people in its
decision, activities and actions to stop child marriage.................................................................8
Limitations of Girls not Brides in involving the participation of children and young people in
its decision, activities and actions to stop child marriage............................................................9
Improvement of involving the children and young people participation.....................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Child marriage can be defined as an union of two individuals falling under the category
of minor or the age group below 18 years in the form of a marriage. It has been analysed that
generally under child marriages, the union is made between a girl that is under the age group of
18 years with either a boy of the similar or a man that can be considered as an adult. A marriage
between a girl and a man also gives rise to gender inequality issues. In an research, it has been
identified that if the organization will not take a step to stop the child marriage, there will be
around 150 million child brides by the year 2030. There are certain causes which leads to an
increase in the number of girl child marriages. It includes poverty, considering the girl child as a
financial burden, and not educating them enough. The United Nations Convention on the Rights
of the Child (UNCRC, 1989) states certain rights in the interest of children and provide them
with the right to life survival and development. The present report is based on the initiatives
taken by the Girls Not Brides organization. It is a non governmental organization which is
working with an objective to end child marriage all over the world.
MAIN BODY
Children's Protection Rights
In relation to the issue of child marriages specifically the girl child marriage, the
UNCRC,1989 provides the children with certain rights for the purpose of protecting the well
being of the children and also protect them from issues such as gender discrimination, sexual
harm, abuse and many more (Wahi, and et.al 2019). Therefore, the UNCRC, 1989 states that

each child has a right to be treated equally irrespective of their race, caste, nationality, religion,
sex or any other basis for that matter. Similarly, every child has its own right to be protected and
feel safe within this world. This right is for the purpose of protecting them from the human
trafficking, sexual assualt, emotional trauma and abuse and many more. The right to health
states their right to be alive and feel free within this world. The UNCRC, 1989 also provides the
children with a right to be identified, and the right to receive education. The right to education
states that the primary education should be free for every child and the secondary education
should be affordable to each and every child. The right to education helps in educating the
children about their own and how they can voice their opinions and issues to the government
whenever there is a need. The right to education also develop skills within themselves, make
them active citizens and independent. All of these rights helps children in protecting their well
being and protecting them from any kind on mental and physical harm that they might have to
face due to the concept of child marriages throughout the world. The early marriages of children
sometimes leads to early unwanted pragnancies which affects the well being and health of the
girl child. This affects the mental and physical health of the mother as she a minor herself
(Tisdall, and Cuevas-Parra, 2020). UNCRC has reported certain articles in which it has been
identified that the girl child is restricted from using her rights with respect issues such as child
marriages. They are forced to quit their education in their early years and are exposed to sexual,
physical and emotional violence and trauma (Convention on the Rights of the Child,2022).
Therefore, in relation to the rights provided by the UNCRC,1989, the Girls Not Brides
organization has been constantly working towards eradicating the concept of Child Marriages
across the globe and taking steps to improve the health of girls, educating them and involving
them towards studying and also providing them a knowledge about their own rights through
which they can stop the abuse and take action against child marriages.
Children's Provision Rights
The UNCRC,1989 has given a list of rights of children which are referred to as the
children's provision rights. These rights are specifically provided to the children for the purpose
of providing them with the right to continue their education, provides them with their right to
receive a good standard of living, get access to health care, have their right to play in their leisure
time. When parents decide to marry their children at a very young age, they stop the
development of their child as after marriage they will be prone to certain kinds of difficulties.