Global Youth Ambassadors campaign on Day of the African Child

The children of Bat Valley Primary School in Kampala, Uganda, show they are #UpForSchool and against child marriage. The event was led by one of A World at School’s network of Global Youth Ambassadors.

June 16 was Day of the African Child, a day to commemorate the murder of Hector Pieterson and scores of other young people during the suppression of the Soweto uprising.

For this year’s theme, the African Union has chosen to focus on the issue of child marriage. Over on A World At School, we have been writing about how our network of Global Youth Ambassadors are leading the way in raising awareness about the issue.

Every year, 15 million girls under the age of 18 become brides – an average of 40,000 girls every day. Many of these girls are not in school and lack of access to education increases the chances of child, early and forced marriage.

A World at School is urging communities to set up child marriage-free zones and is calling on governments to adopt and enforce the legal age of marriage and protect children as minors in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

One way child marriage can be prevented is setting up a new fund for education in emergencies to help children return to the classroom during and after conflicts and disasters. You can make your voice heard by world leaders by signing the #UpForSchool Petition.
Please click here to visit our rolling blog about the work our amazing Global Youth Ambassadors were doing to mark the day.