MONTREAL – The federal government is taking another step in its ongoing efforts to end forced marriages.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has announced that Canada is contributing $20 million over two years to a UNICEF project that targets six countries.
UNICEF wants to accelerate the movement to end child marriage in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Yemen and Zambia.
The agency’s plan involves supporting efforts in those countries to strengthen programming and political support to end the practice.
Baird made the announcement at a Montreal gym as young female gymnasts went through their paces nearby.
He says the troubling practice of forced marriages is a violation of human rights and it also hinders economic development.
The foreign affairs minister said Friday that everyone suffers when young girls can’t reach their full potential, including their communities and their countries.
He points out in a news release that girls who marry later stay in school longer, give birth later and are better able to reach their full potential to the benefit of girls themselves, their families and their societies.
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