Grenada

There is no publicly available government data on Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) in Grenada.

Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) are driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

There is limited information on CEFMU in Grenada.

Grenada has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The government submitted a Voluntary National Review at the 2022 High Level Political Forum. However, there was no mention of child marriage.

Grenada co-sponsored the 2013 and 2014 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.

Grenada ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18,, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1990, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

Grenada, as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), is bound to the Inter American System of Human Rights, which recognises the right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and calls on governments to strengthen the response to address gender-based violence and discrimination, including early, forced and child marriage and unions, from a perspective that respected evolving capacities and progressive autonomy.

Grenada ratified the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (known as the Belém do Pará Convention) in 2000. In 2016, the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) recommended State Parties to review and reform laws and practices to increase the minimum age for marriage to 18 years for women and men.

Grenada, as a member of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), adopted the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development in 2013, which recognises the need to address the high levels of adolescent pregnancy in the region as usually associated with the forced marriage of girls. In 2016, the Montevideo Strategy for Implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda was also approved by the ECLAC countries. This Agenda encompasses commitments made by the governments on women’s rights and autonomy, and gender equality, during the last 40 years in the Regional Conferences of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Agenda reaffirms the right to a life free of all forms of violence, including forced marriage and cohabitation for girls and adolescents.

Grenada is one of the countries where the Spotlight Initiative (a global, multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations) is supporting efforts to end all forms of violence against women, sexual and gender-based violence, and harmful practices against women and girls. The Ministry of Legal Affairs have conducted national assessments in order to assess gaps in legal and policy frameworks to end violence against women and girls in Grenada.

In 2020, six civil society organizations received grants:

GrenCHAP – provides support to the LGBTQI community, sex workers and people living with HIV/AIDS.

GRENED – addresses domestic violence since COVID-19 through media engagement and advocacy.

The Beaton, Laura, La Femme, Ballies Bacolet Community Organization – provide support through child protection programmes.

Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic, Grenada Ladypreneurs – Our Women Succeed and Sweetwater Foundation provide support to victims and survivors of violence.

In 2022, with the support of the Spotlight Initiative, the government launched the National Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) for Gender-Based Violence, in order to strengthen intersectoral collaboration for providing comprehensive services. The health, justice, social development and policing sectors committed to implementing SOPS to contribute to the prevention of violence against women and girls and to promote gender equality.

In 2022, the key results of the Spotlight Initiative include:

The first draft of a revised Action Plan for the Gender Equality Policy was developed.

Service providers were trained on the draft Victims’ and Survivors’ Rights Policy.

Various government sectors committed to the establishment of national and sub-national mechanisms on ending violence against women and girls.

Government and civil society organizations completed intensive training on piloting gender-responsive budgeting and gender analysis.

‘Stop, Take a deep breath, and Relax’ (STAR) campaign was launched.

Grenada is a partner country of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

In June 2023, the government, with the support of the Spotlight Initiative, UNDP, the Central Statistical Office, the Ministry of Health, the National Data Centre of Grenada and the Royal Grenada Police Force, launched the GrenadaInfoSafe digital platform. This platform was created to effectively collect and analyse data on gender-based violence. The primary aim of the platform is to digitise data collection and provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature and incidence of gender-based violence in Grenada and by doing so, it aims to support the design and implementation of evidence-based policies to address gender-based violence.

Under the Marriage Act 2011 the minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years. However, a person aged between 16 and 18 years may marry with parental consent.