Topic: Eradicating Child Marriage
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Emma Richter
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Israel position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
Child marriage deprives women and young girls basic human rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human rights, such as the right to marriage at an appropriate age, equal rights within a marriage, right to liberty and security of person, and the right to marriage entered only with the consent of both parties involved. Child marriages can lead to increased violence and rape among girls and women, poverty among women, increase in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, a lack of educated women, and health issues associated with early pregnancy.
As a country with determined support of equality for women, Israel maintains organizations like the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, the Parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women, and the Municipality Committees on Violence Against Women. These organizations offer platforms for discussing and promoting gender-oriented legislation and investigate cases and complaints of discrimination or abuse on the grounds of gender, pregnancy, parenthood, and marriage. Israel applauds previous international efforts to create awareness of and end child marriage, such as the International Day of the Girl adopted in Resolution 66/170 on December 19, 2011, the 1995 Beijing Conference that included a specific focus on the girl child, and the resolution adopted in 2005 that reiterated commitments to undertake legal reforms to ensure the rights of girls and enact legislation against all forms of violence and exploitation against girls. Israel also wants to draw light to the fact that child marriage impedes several of the Millennium Development Goals, including eradicating extreme poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating diseases like HIV/AIDS.
Israel encourages this committee to act in ways that will prevent the horrific events of child marriages. Due to the fact that many child marriages stem from extreme poverty and male dominated communities, Israel urges the countries of this committee to consider the following: amending or introducing new legislation on child marriage and enforcement mechanisms; increasing education for girls and monitoring girls enrolled in school; supporting girls already victimized; investing in efforts to improve data on monitoring and evaluation for at risk and married girls; and target specific areas with high numbers of child marriages. These actions would be taken with the support of groups such as UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR, IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Foundation), IHEU (International Humanist and Ethical Union), and several NGOs. Child marriage has a large root in economic deficiencies, and only through financial support from these types of organizations can it be prevented and eradicated.
