In today’s episode, St.Jamestown TV News reporter Georgie Alford interviews Rowena Pinto, Chief Program Officer of UNICEF Canada.  

Rowena oversees international policy and programs, advocating governments on policies that help children around the world. One of the issues that is dear to her heart is the rights of children and specifically advocating to eliminate child marriages.

According to Rowena, globally over twelve million girls under the age of 18 are entered into marriages each year, regularly to men who are significantly older.   Rowena explains that this used to be much higher but over the last 25 years there has been a concerted effort to address this problem.   Unfortunately, Covid -19 has exacerbated the problem due to the fact that girls have been forced to stay home and have been cut off from their education and social networks. Rowena is worried that there is a possibility that the world will lose the gains they made fighting this issue

When a child is married under the age of 18, under the United Nations Convention of Human Rights and the Conventions of the Right of the Child, it is considered forced. There is no child that can make that decision on their own.

All around the world, millions of women and girls are denied their basic human rights, simply because of their gender.  And yet, studies show that when you invest in girls, the whole world benefits.  Its proven time and again that when a girl has enough to eat, a safe environment and an education, she’ll work to raise the standard of living for herself, her family and her community. Isn’t it time we put an end to child marriages? Rowena Pinto of UNICEF Canada definitely thinks so!!!