Mabel Bianco participated in the presentation of Girls Not Brides at NGO CSW

On Wednesday, March 13, the event “Ending Child Marriage: A Key Path to Gender Equality” was held. Organized by Girls Not Brides with the support of important governmental entities such as the Government of Canada, Malawi, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as Plan International, this initiative brought together prominent speakers and experts in the field.

Mabel Bianco, President of FEIM and representing Argentina, was part of the speaker line-up along with H.E. Jean Sendeza, Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Malawi; Megan Dersnah, Deputy Director, Strategic Policy, Gender Equality, Global Affairs, Canada; Dr.
Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO, Girls Not Brides; Kathleen Sherwin, Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer, Plan International; Angela Nguku, Executive Director of White Ribbon Alliance, Kenya; Petra Tötterman Andorff, Secretary General, Kvinna till Kvinna, Sweden; Nankali Maksud, Coordinator, UNFPA/UNICEF Program to End Child Marriage; Georgiana Epure, Acting Global Advocacy and Campaigns Manager, Girls Not Brides.

The event focused on the persistent challenges hindering efforts to end child marriage and key strategies for advancing this agenda at the national and international levels. The importance of addressing this problem not only as a human rights issue, but also as a key element in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, ensuring access to safe and quality education, combating gender-based violence and transforming the social norms that perpetuate this harmful practice was highlighted.

Mabel Bianco emphasized the problem of informal unions and the high levels of teenage pregnancy in places like Argentina. She highlighted the strong opposition to integral sex education in schools by anti-rights groups and the need to hold governments accountable for addressing these issues.

This event takes on particular relevance in the context of ICPD30, the upcoming UN General Assembly Resolution on child, early and forced marriage, and the Summit of the Future, reinforcing the need for a global commitment to end child marriage and move towards a more just and equal society.