On International Women’s Day, UNICEF is calling on policymakers, educators and local communities to take stronger action to end child marriage and ensure quality education for all girls, UNICEF said today.

“Every child has the right to grow up safely, to be educated and to freely choose their future. Child marriage represents a serious violation of the rights of the child. It is a serious problem that disproportionately affects girls from the Roma and Egyptian communities in Montenegro,” UNICEF said in a statement.

The international fund for children and youth added that according to the findings of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) on the Status of Women and Children’s Rights, conducted by MONSTAT and UNICEF in 2018, more than a third of Roma and Egyptian girls aged 15 to 19 are already married or living with a partner.

The statement also states that research credibly shows that education is one of the most powerful tools for preventing child marriage.

“Keeping girls in school is key to ending child marriage. Every additional year of education significantly reduces the risk of early marriage and provides girls with a future that brings choices and opportunities,” said UNICEF Montenegro Representative Mikele Servadei.

UNICEF also states that the data confirms this: 59% of Roma and Egyptian women with low or no formal education are married before the age of 18. However, among those who complete secondary school, that number drops to 25%.

“To combat child marriage, UNICEF is strengthening support systems in communities and schools. With UNICEF’s support, a module has been developed within the Education Information System that helps identify children at risk of dropping out of school and enables immediate response by teachers and school administrators. Currently, UNICEF and the EU are supporting the training of educators in 11 municipalities with large numbers of Roma and Egyptian students to effectively use this system. It is also necessary to expand the role of Roma mediators in education. Recent changes to the legal framework will enable the engagement of a larger number of Roma mediators in primary and pre-school education, thus ensuring better communication between families and schools and reducing the dropout rate,” UNICEF said.

They also state that ending child marriage requires a multi-sectoral approach that addresses the root causes, including child poverty.

“Expanding social protection measures, parenting support and outreach programmes is essential to provide assistance to Roma and Egyptian families, as well as to reduce the financial pressures that contribute to early marriage. Stronger legal protection is also necessary. Despite UN recommendations and the efforts of the Women’s Club of the Parliament of Montenegro, work on raising the minimum legal age for marriage to 18 years remains to be done. Harmonising national laws with international standards in the field of children’s rights is crucial to protecting all children from early and forced marriages,” UNICEF said in a statement.

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