The International Federation of Women Lawyers has called for stronger legal and institutional action to end child marriage as the world marks the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.
FIDA International Global President Ezinwa Nwanyeze Okoroafor said ending child marriage requires more than government commitments and public declarations.
She argued that effective protection must include laws capable of being enforced, functioning justice institutions and sustained investment in girls’ education, health and welfare.
This year’s observance focuses on the theme “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights.”
According to the report by Law & Society Magazine, FIDA warned that child marriage continues to prevent millions of girls from completing their education, protecting their health and participating meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives.
The organisation cited United Nations figures indicating that more than 12 million girls are married before reaching 18 each year, with sub-Saharan Africa recording particularly high prevalence.
For FIDA, legislation is only one part of the solution.
Laws prohibiting or restricting child marriage must be backed by authorities capable of enforcing them, reporting systems that girls can safely access and justice mechanisms able to respond promptly when violations occur.
Education is another central part of the organisation’s position.
Keeping girls in school can reduce vulnerability to early marriage, but FIDA maintains that educational policies must be accompanied by social services and economic interventions addressing the pressures that often place girls at risk.
Poverty, insecurity, displacement and limited educational opportunities can make families and children more vulnerable to harmful practices, meaning isolated legal reform may have limited effect without wider social investment.
FIDA also stressed the importance of giving girls themselves a meaningful voice in policies and decisions concerning their futures.
For an international organisation of women lawyers, the issue carries a particular legal responsibility.
Where states have enacted laws protecting children, implementation determines whether those protections exist only on paper or provide practical remedies to girls facing forced or early marriage.
The organisation is therefore calling on governments, courts, law-enforcement authorities, civil society groups and community leaders to work together to strengthen prevention and accountability.
FIDA’s intervention reinforces the principle that ending child marriage is not only a social-development objective but also an access-to-justice and human-rights issue.
Related Story: FIDA Nigeria: Legal Protection Still Eludes Many Women
News Source: Law & Society Magazine
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