Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today, with the passage of the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act, the Senate takes a step toward ending child marriage. Child marriage is often carried out through force or coercion. It deprives young girls, and sometimes boys, of their dignity and human rights. And it poses grave health risks. In some countries, it is not uncommon for girls as young as 7 or 8 years old to be married. Child marriage also undermines U.S. foreign assistance to developing countries. We invest in education and skills-building for girls, improving maternal and child health, ending the transmission of HIV/ AIDS, preventing gender-based violence, and reducing poverty. But where the girls targeted for assistance are married, these development strategies only go so far. UNICEF estimates that 60 million girls in developing countries now ages 20 to 24 were married under the age of 18. The Population Council estimates that the number will increase by 100 million over the next decade if trends continue. The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act seeks to reverse those trends. Thanks to Senator Olympia Snowe and 41 other cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, the leadership of Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Representatives Betty McCollum and Ander Crenshaw in the House for supporting the legislation to make ending child marriage a priority in foreign affairs.…”