About us

Our vision

A world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.

Our mission

We know that we are more effective when we work together, and believe that – as a Partnership – we will foster real change in girls’ lives.

Together, we will

• Collaborate to prevent child marriage and support girls who are – or have ever been – married.
• Amplify the voices of girls at risk of child marriage and defend girls’ rights to health, education and the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
• Enhance and strengthen efforts to end child marriage at every level.
• Raise awareness of the harmful impact of child marriage by encouraging open, inclusive and informed discussion at the community, local, national and international level.
• Facilitate learning and coordination between organisations working to end child marriage.
• Mobilise all necessary policy, financial and other support to end child marriage.

Who we are

Girls Not Brides is a global network of more than 1,400 civil society organisations from nearly 100 countries committed to ending child marriage and ensuring girls can reach their full potential. For more information on how we function as a partnership, see our How we work page.

Our members

The strength and passion of Girls Not Brides lies in our member organisations, who are based across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

They work to end child marriage and make sure that all girls around the world can stay in school, stay healthy and have the futures they dream of.

For more information on our member organisations and their work, visit our partnership pages.

Secretariat and Board

Girls Not Brides member organisations are supported by a secretariat and a Board of Trustees based across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The secretariat works with member organisations and supporters to advance the knowledge base on child marriage, raise awareness of the issue, and campaign for legal and social change.

How we are funded

The Girls Not Brides secretariat is funded through grants from governments, foundations and multilateral sources. Their generous contributions enable us to support the work of the Partnership and catalyse broader efforts to end child marriage. Visit our How we are funded page for more details.

Our history

Girls Not Brides was initiated in September 2011 by The Elders, a group of independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights. They wanted to focus attention on the harmful practices that hold girls and women back, and to encourage and empower others to build a world free from child marriage.

Girls Not Brides became an independent charity in 2013. Mabel Van Oranje and Mrs Graca Machel are Girls Not Brides global champions and advocates to end child marriage.

Charity details

Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage (“Girls Not Brides”) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Reg No.: 8570751) and a registered charity in England and Wales (Reg No: 1154230).