IWSAW in collaboration with the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), under the patronage of First Lady Wafaa Suleiman launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day the national campaign to “Protect Underage Girls from Early Marriage”.

On March 4, Irwin Auditorium at LAU was packed with ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors, international and national organizations as well as activists to support the campaign that comes at a time when several cases of early marriage and kidnappings in Lebanon have shaken the Lebanese society.

The ceremony embraced short talks by different speakers and a short film initiated by IWSAW and NCLW and directed by Wafa’a Celine Halawi.

The two-year national campaign will include an in-depth study of the topic, an awareness media campaign, and a recommended draft law aimed at setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 years. In the meantime, it will propose measures to protect minors by imposing health and psychological examinations before marriage and ensure that the parties, notably young girls, have given their consent willingly.

A preliminary legal study was distributed during the ceremony.

More details about the event and the campaign are found in this LAU News article.