By NATION REPORTER
THE socio-economic consequences of Covid-19 pandemic could result in 13 million cases of child early and forced marriage across the globe, Zambia’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Ngosa Simbyakula has said.
Dr Simbyakula said Covid-19 was threatening the progress made in the last decade to prevent and eliminate Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) which was estimated to be eradicated by the year 2030.
He said that Child Early and Forced Marriage was not only a harmful practice but also a grave abuse of human rights which often jeopedised the education, health, well-being and future of millions of children in the world.
Dr Simbyakula said this during the adoption of a resolution on “Ending Child, Early and Forced Marriage” at the United Nations in New York. The resolution is co-sponsored by Zambia and Canada.
The resolution calls on the international community to take decisive action to overcome the unprecedented challenges nations are currently facing in order to protect and accelerate progress to end the vice of Early, Child and Forced Marriage.
Dr Simbyakula informed the UN that Zambia was committed to ending early, child and forced marriage and was proud to have partnered with Canada and other cross-regional groups of countries to support the balanced and strong text in the resolution.
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