Delegation from Represented by
India The City School
Position paper for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is the United Nations (UN) General
Assembly Committee which has been committed to ensuring special protection for disadvantaged children since
1953. India is a part of the 190 countries which UNICEF has provided for. This paper mainly focuses on ‘Child
Rights in The Context of Armed Force’ and ‘Addressing the Impact of Child Marriage on Gender Equality.’
1. Child Rights in The Context of Armed Force
Delegation from Represented by
India The City School
2. Addressing the impact of child marriage on gender equality
Child marriage ends childhood. Child marriage has been a global issue for centuries now and has affected many
countries, with India being home to one of the largest numbers of child brides. Child marriage affects both young
girls and boys but is a more common practice for girls, especially young girls who live in rural areas, but this is a
violation of child rights for both genders. Globally, over 650 million girls were married before the age of 18, which
means approximately 12 million girls in a year. According to UNICEF, child marriage is the union of two people
who are under the age of 18. Having examined these figures, organizations like UNICEF help to eliminate or at
least help to reduce these practices.
In India, about 23% of young girls which is nearly one in four girls were married before their 18th with over half of
them residing in one of the five states which include: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Madhya
Pradesh. Child marriage eliminates young adolescents’ basic right to education in India, only 2 in 10 girls can
continue their education after their marriage. Being deprived of this basic need leads to gender inequality in all
aspects of life. Often girls are pressured into these marriages due to social, cultural, or economic reasons. Child
marriage is also one of the leading causes of maternal mortality due to early pregnancies which can cause many
complications, especially when the girls are still young, and their bodies are still developing. Brides at a young age
are also often victims of domestic – violence. Still, in a country like India where patriarchy is highly influenced,
these time of cases specifically in the rural areas are most of the time neglected or the alleged victims are too afraid
to voice out their conditions. Child marriage affects both genders but when young boys are affected by it then they
are often overlooked, 1 in 6 boys still are young grooms in India. Boys who are victims of child marriage are made
responsible for their financial condition at a very young age which disrupts them mentally and physically. Still, it
may not be as severe as compared to girls who are victims of child marriage.
In recent years India has made remarkable progress as this practice has declined steeply from 49% in 2001 to 23% in
2023. The Child Marriage Act (2006) has helped reduce this practice in numbers as this law placed penalties which
ranged from 2 years in prison to fines of up to 100000 rupees. However, this practice hasn’t been eliminated yet, but
it may be possible if proper education is available all over the various states and rural villages in India. Having
proper education is going to make the young generation self-aware of their rights and it will also help them to voice
their opinion in a better way. Furthermore, the government of India can introduce new law policies, as to date only
one law has been issued regarding child marriages. To help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by
2030 which is 5.3 the Indian government should consider all the possible causes of child marriages and try their best
to combat it. Child marriage is not a choice if their government can't help them, then it’s the general public that
should be their voice.
Delegation from Represented by
India The City School
Bibliography
1. Child Rights in the Context of Armed Forces
2. Addressing the impact of Child Marriage on Gender Equality
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/every-last-girl-free-live-free-learn-free-harm/
https://www.unicef.org/montenegro/en/stories/child-marriage-violation-human-rights
https://www.childlineindia.org/a/issues/child-marriage
https://www.unicef.org/media/86311/file/Child-marriage-the-law-2020.pdf
https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/learning-resources/child-marriage-and-health/
https://data.unicef.org/resources/ending-child-marriage-a-profile-of-progress-in-india-2023/
