The G20 cannot Ignore Child Marriage and Harmful Practices

Every year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. This means 12 million children are denied their right to an education, healthcare, and a childhood. Alongside child marriage, harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) continue to rob girls of their dignity and their futures. These are not isolated ‘cultural’ issues; they are global human rights violations with profound social and economic consequences.

As South Africa hands over the G20 Chairship to the United States, the world has a historic opportunity. The G20 represents 85% of global GDP and wields immense influence over international policy. Advancing gender equality is a stated G20 priority, and it must therefore address child marriage and harmful practices as part of its core agenda.

At the Regional Consultative Convening on Collective Influencing to Address Child Marriage, held in Nairobi in September 2025, African Union representatives, SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), civil society organisations, UN agencies, and youth leaders, reaffirmed a shared vision: a continent where every girl can live free from child marriage and harmful practices. They called for accountability, financing, youth and survivor leadership, crisis-responsive interventions, and better data as non-negotiable priorities. These are not just African concerns; they are global imperatives the G20 cannot ignore.

Why focus on these issues? Because child marriage and harmful practices undermine every aspect of development. Girls who are married early are less likely to finish school, more likely to face complications during pregnancy, and more likely to remain trapped in poverty. Survivors of FGM endure lifelong health consequences and trauma. These practices perpetuate cycles of inequality that stall progress in education, health, and economic growth.

Financing and accountability

Must be front and center. National strategies to end child marriage remain chronically underfunded. Grassroots, youth-led, and survivor-led organisations are the very actors closest to girls ' struggle for survival. Participants in Nairobi called for cost national action plans, dedicated budget lines, and transparent tracking systems. The G20 should commit to reversing underfunding by ensuring that at least 1% of GDP is allocated to gender equality, including the elimination of child marriage.

Laws

Must be reformed, enforced, and funded. Too many countries still permit child marriage through exceptions based on customary or religious law. The G20 must call for harmonised laws setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage, with no exceptions. But as the Nairobi convening reminded us, laws alone are not enough; they must be accompanied by education, comprehensive SRHR and mental health services, and survivor-centred support.

Youth and survivor leadership

Must be institutionalised. Young people at the Nairobi convening made a powerful demand: their participation cannot be tokenistic. They are ready to co-create regional and global strategies. Survivors, too, must no longer be seen only as beneficiaries, but as leaders and experts shaping advocacy and accountability. The G20 has the chance to embed these principles in its Gender Equality Taskforce and future policymaking.

Crises

Cannot be ignored. Conflict, climate shocks, and displacement are driving millions more girls into child marriage. The Nairobi gathering called for crisis-responsive interventions, education, safe spaces, psychosocial support, and livelihoods for girls in fragile contexts. The G20, with its economic and political weight, must integrate child marriage into humanitarian and climate response agendas.

But progress is fragile. Without urgent and coordinated action, we will fail to meet the 2030 target to end child marriage and harmful practices. The G20 cannot afford to treat these issues as secondary. They are fundamental barriers to gender equality and sustainable development, and addressing them is both a moral imperative and a smart economic decision.

As South Africa hands over the G20 Chairship to the United States, this transition offers an important moment to reinforce global commitments to ending child marriage and female genital mutilation, and to advance a world where every girl can learn, lead, and thrive.

The message is simple: if the G20 wants to fulfil its promises to women and girls, it must act boldly and immediately. The future of millions of girls cannot wait.