For someone who is barely five feet, 17-year-old “Nana” walks tall and proud among volunteers in the small rural town of Ganassi in Lanao del Sur.   With a smile as bright as sunshine, Nana recalled how at 14, she was among Grade 8 students selected to be part of an advocacy training facilitated by the […]

Members of the ‘Girl Defenders’ alliance on Wednesday welcome the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11596, also known as an “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties for Violations Thereof.” The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development and the international humanitarian and […]

International humanitarian and development organization Oxfam joins the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD)’s commendation of the signing into law of Republic Act (RA) No. 11596, also known as “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties for Violations Thereof”. “After years of advocacy and lobbying, we finally achieved a historic win. […]

International humanitarian and development organization Oxfam joins the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD)’s commendation of the signing into law of Republic Act (RA) No. 11596, also known as “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties for Violations Thereof”. “After years of advocacy and lobbying, we finally achieved a historic win. […]

Juanday and Farhana are childhood best friends who grew up in Guindulungan, Maguindanao. They were classmates from elementary until college, and both were student leaders. Since grade school, Juanday and Farhana witnessed early child and forced marriages and violence against women in their community.  According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in the Philippines, […]

Asma chose to be married at the age of 15, but her mother did not allow her. According to her, she decided to marry her current husband because of love.  “Early marriage is legal to us Muslims. However, I realized that it is difficult to marry and become a mother at an early age, especially […]