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The former US First Lady Michelle Obama, global philanthropist Melinda French Gates, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and former SA and Mozambique First Lady Graça Machel joined forces in Cape Town on Thursday to discuss ending child marriage.

The global powerhouses visited initiatives in Malawi aimed at building girls’ power through their respective foundations. During the discussion, they spoke about the value of female children, their education and the need for financial backing for the empowerment of young girls.

“They are me, and I am them,” said Obama as she recalled how she felt meeting girls in Malawi as part of a campaign to eradicate child brides on the African continent, per News24.

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama, global philanthropist Melinda French Gates, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and former South Africa and Mozambique First Lady Graça Machel lead discussion on ending child marriage in Cape Townhttps://t.co/Mo3VF15R5M

— Charles Onyango-Obbo (@cobbo3) November 17, 2023

Machel blamed parents for child marriages as they see their girl children as commodities and not valued as full human beings, reminding everyone that for things to change, everyone would need to acknowledge a girl child as a full human being.

Obama concurred: “This isn’t an issue that’s unique to Africa. In America, we struggle to value girls”.

“You can go to any city, any community in our country. We are perhaps not marrying our girls off, but we are not investing in them.

“[The girls we met in Malawi] know who they are; they know their power, strength, and value. They know they have a voice and potential, but they also know they are not being seen,” she added.

“I see girls all over the world who are hungry for a chance to be seen. All they need is a chance.”

An estimated 12 million girls were married globally every year – the equivalent of one every three seconds, said Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, the CEO of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership to end child marriage.

In tackling the issue, Malawi has decreased the number of girls who are married by more than 20% over the past 10 years. Yet, 38% of girls are still married before the age of 18.

News24 | ‘We struggle to value girls’: Michelle Obama speaks on child marriage at Cape Town event https://t.co/kiLmizl3jO

— News24 🇿🇦 (@News24) November 16, 2023

Clooney added that child marriage persists because there are inadequate legal protections for millions of girls across Africa:

“And even in nations such as Malawi, where child marriage is prohibited, girls cannot access justice.

“That is why the Clooney Foundation for Justice has partnered with the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi to launch mobile legal aid clinics so that girls know their rights and get free access to a lawyer to defend them.”

Global philanthropist French Gates shared how educating a boy or girl child was not an either-or situation as the investment in the education of children will make society better. She emphasised how families, communities, and countries were better off when girls were empowered.

“Girls will tell you: ‘I want an education. I want a different way. I want a better life. I want to follow my dreams’. But so often, we stunt those dreams because of child marriage,” she added.

Unicef reports it will take another 300 years until child marriage is eliminated if things continue at the current rate.

The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, Girls First Fund, and VOW for Girls all joined forces with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance to champion initiatives that will help end child marriage by working with and supporting girl- and community-led groups, striving to eliminate barriers for girls worldwide.

[source:news24&iol]