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International Law and Child Marriage

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International Human Rights of Women

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Abstract

This chapter examines the causes and consequences of child marriage and considers the practice from an international law perspective. It explores the international legal instruments that have an impact on child marriage and identifies the human rights that are breached when a child is required to wed. The chapter concludes that, in relation to child marriage, international law is not as clear as it could be and that the international community needs to adopt a more consistent approach to the issue. However, the role that international law plays in the campaign against child marriage should not be underestimated.

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Correspondence to Ruth Gaffney-Rhys .

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Gaffney-Rhys, R. (2019). International Law and Child Marriage. In: Reilly, N. (eds) International Human Rights of Women. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8905-3_17

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