On 11 October, the International Day of the Girl calls for action to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights. For Lebanon, this message carries particular urgency. Economic hardship, displacement, disrupted education and barriers to healthcare can narrow girls’ opportunities and expose them to violence and exploitation. Protecting girls requires coordinated action across legislation, education, health, social protection and access to justice—and meaningful participation by girls themselves.
The United Nations observes the International Day of the Girl every year on 11 October. Established through General Assembly Resolution 66/170, adopted on 19 December 2011, the day recognises girls’ rights and the particular challenges they face.
The 2026 theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights!”, was developed through consultations with girls, girls’ organisations, girl-led networks, civil society and UN partners. It highlights the importance of protecting childhood and ensuring that every girl can learn, grow and shape her future.
For the National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), this occasion provides an opportunity to connect international commitments with the daily realities of girls living in Lebanon.
The central question is practical: what must change so that every girl can remain in education, obtain appropriate healthcare, live free from violence and participate in decisions affecting her life?
Why girls’ rights must be central to Lebanon’s recovery
Girls’ rights are closely connected to the conditions in which families live. When livelihoods deteriorate, schooling becomes inaccessible or communities are displaced, existing inequalities can become more severe.
UNICEF has documented how Lebanon’s multiple crises have pushed vulnerable families towards harmful coping strategies, including child marriage. Its reporting identifies these pressures among both Lebanese and Syrian communities, underlining the need to respond to economic insecurity without stigmatising any population.
This does not mean that every girl facing poverty or displacement will experience child marriage. It means that prevention must address the circumstances that restrict choices and weaken protection.
For Lebanon, investing in girls should therefore be part of recovery planning. Education assistance, safe housing, healthcare, social protection and accessible child protection services can help families withstand hardship while preserving girls’ opportunities.
Girls’ rights must remain protected during emergencies and throughout reconstruction. Their needs should influence how schools reopen, how services are organised and how assistance reaches households.
Ending child marriage as a human rights priority
UNICEF defines marriage before the age of 18 as a fundamental violation of human rights. It identifies interacting drivers, including poverty, harmful social norms, perceptions that marriage offers protection and inadequate legal frameworks.
Child marriage can interrupt education, restrict independence and expose girls to responsibilities and risks they are not equipped to manage. It can also make it harder to seek help, maintain friendships or pursue future employment.
Prevention requires legal protection and practical alternatives. Families facing financial hardship need support that enables children to remain in school and live safely. Girls at risk need confidential assistance and professionals who can respond before harm occurs.
Girls who are already married must also receive support. They retain their rights to education, healthcare, protection and access to justice. Services should reach them without blame or discrimination.
Advancing legal protection in Lebanon
UN human rights bodies have repeatedly recommended that Lebanon strengthen protection against child marriage. In its 2017 concluding observations, the Committee on the Rights of the Child urged Lebanon to adopt legislation setting the minimum marriage age at 18 for girls and boys and to engage religious authorities in prohibiting child marriage. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also recommended a law prohibiting child marriage and setting the minimum age at 18.
These recommendations provide a clear direction for reform: consistent protection of children, effective implementation and access to remedies.
In its March 2025 statement on women’s rights, the NHRC-CPT identified legal and procedural gaps affecting equality and called for stronger protection against child and forced marriage. It also advocated reform of personal status legislation and improved access to justice.
A comprehensive response should establish a minimum marriage age of 18 without exceptions, supported by clear responsibilities for prevention and enforcement. Legal measures should be accompanied by trained professionals, legal assistance and protection services.
Implementation must safeguard girls rather than expose them to additional punishment or exclusion. Girls already affected by marriage need pathways to support, documentation and remedies.
Keeping girls in school
Education is central to girls’ rights and to preventing child marriage. Remaining in school can expand opportunities, strengthen social connections and provide access to trusted adults and support services.
UNICEF’s analysis of child deprivation in Lebanon describes the relationship between interrupted education and child marriage: limited access to education can increase vulnerability to early marriage, while marriage can lead to school dropout.
Lebanon’s education response should address the full range of obstacles girls face. These may include transport costs, learning materials, inaccessible buildings, safety concerns, caregiving responsibilities and gaps caused by displacement.
Schools need effective safeguarding procedures and referral pathways when a student faces violence or pressure to marry. Teachers should receive guidance on identifying concerns and responding appropriately.
Girls who have left school should have opportunities to return through flexible learning and catch-up programmes. Marriage or pregnancy should not become a permanent barrier to education.
Investment should also support girls’ access to science, technology, vocational learning and digital skills, allowing them to pursue ambitions beyond restrictive expectations.
Recognising the Ministry of Public Health’s role
Preventing child marriage is also a public health responsibility.
The Ministry of Public Health has previously collaborated with the Lebanese Democratic Women’s Gathering to raise awareness of the health risks associated with child marriage through the “Not Before 18” campaign. This earlier partnership recognised the importance of health-sector engagement in protecting children.
The Ministry’s reproductive health programme also describes preventive services delivered through primary healthcare, including health information, supplies and provider training.
For adolescent girls, these services should be accessible, age-appropriate and respectful. Girls need accurate information, care that protects their dignity and privacy, and clear explanations of confidentiality and safeguarding procedures.
Health professionals should be equipped to recognise protection concerns, including coercion and violence, and make appropriate referrals. Girls already married or pregnant must receive care without judgement and support to continue education and participate in decisions about their lives.
Connecting health, protection and psychosocial support
Girls facing violence or coercion may need several forms of assistance at once. Healthcare, psychosocial support, child protection and legal aid should work together through safe referral arrangements.
A recent initiative offers a relevant example. On 31 October 2025, UNFPA and UNICEF launched “Mustaqbali Khayari” — “My Future, My Decision”, a two-year programme supported by Sweden and developed in collaboration with Lebanon’s Ministries of Social Affairs and Public Health.
The programme focuses on protecting vulnerable women and girls from gender-based violence and harmful practices, particularly child marriage. It combines adolescent empowerment with reproductive health, protection, mental health and psychosocial support, alongside training for frontline professionals.
This integrated approach recognises that protection needs rarely fit within a single sector.
For Lebanon, coordination should help girls obtain assistance without repeatedly recounting distressing experiences or navigating disconnected services. Information sharing must protect privacy and follow appropriate safeguarding procedures.
Supporting families and addressing harmful social norms
Prevention must work with families and communities while protecting girls’ rights.
Lebanon’s QUDWA initiative addresses social and behavioural drivers of harmful practices, including child marriage, child labour and violence. UNICEF describes engagement with caregivers, adolescents and religious leaders as part of this work.
Community dialogue should create space to question assumptions that restrict girls’ futures or present marriage as a response to poverty and insecurity.
Such dialogue is more effective when families can access practical support. Cash assistance, affordable schooling, healthcare and livelihood opportunities can reduce pressures that undermine children’s protection.
Boys and men also have a role in challenging discrimination, rejecting violence and supporting equal opportunities. Responsibility for prevention must be shared across families, institutions and communities.
Protecting girls during displacement and emergencies
Humanitarian responses must account for risks that affect girls differently.
Safe accommodation, adequate lighting, private sanitation facilities, accessible services and reliable information can influence whether girls can move safely and seek assistance. Education continuity and family support also matter.
The NHRC-CPT’s work on human rights during conflict has raised concerns about the risk of early marriage linked to economic pressures during displacement. Its reporting has also highlighted the effects of disrupted education on child protection.
Protection planning should therefore include girls from the beginning. Assessments should identify barriers faced by displaced girls, girls with disabilities and those without reliable documentation.
Assistance should be based on need and provided without discrimination. Public communication must avoid blaming refugee or displaced communities and instead address the circumstances that create vulnerability.
Giving girls a meaningful voice
Girls should participate in decisions about the services and policies intended to support them.
Schools, municipalities, public institutions and civil society can create safe opportunities for girls to express concerns and propose solutions. Their views can improve transport arrangements, learning programmes, healthcare access and community activities.
Participation must be age-appropriate, accessible and voluntary. It should include girls who are out of school, displaced or living with disabilities.
Institutions should explain how girls’ contributions will be used and report back on the resulting decisions. Consultation becomes meaningful when it can influence outcomes.
Girls must also retain control over their stories. Public awareness activities should protect identities and avoid exposing children to stigma, retaliation or unwanted attention.
Strengthening accountability and the NHRC-CPT’s contribution
Protecting girls requires institutions that respond when rights are threatened.
Within its mandate, the NHRC-CPT can contribute through receiving complaints, monitoring violations, reviewing policies and legislation, promoting awareness and recommending improvements in protection.
Its published work on women’s rights has called for stronger implementation of protections against violence, specialised professional training and access to legal support.
For girls, complaint and referral mechanisms should be understandable, accessible and sensitive to age and disability. Reporting must not expose a child to retaliation or further harm.
Reliable data are also essential. Lebanon needs information that distinguishes national trends from findings concerning particular groups, regions or periods. Older figures should not be presented as current prevalence estimates.
Data collection should support prevention and service planning while protecting children’s privacy.
Turning the 2026 theme into action in Lebanon
Priorities for Lebanon should include:
- Strengthening legal protection: Establish consistent protection against marriage before 18 and effective remedies for children at risk.
- Keeping girls in education: Address financial, accessibility and safety barriers and support return to learning.
- Improving access to healthcare: Provide adolescent-responsive services linked to protection and psychosocial support.
- Supporting families: Connect prevention with social protection and assistance that reduces economic pressure.
- Protecting girls during emergencies: Integrate their needs into shelter, education and recovery planning.
- Challenging harmful norms: Work with communities, caregivers and religious leaders while upholding children’s rights.
- Ensuring girls’ participation: Give girls safe opportunities to influence policies and services.
- Strengthening accountability: Improve referral pathways, complaints mechanisms, professional training and responsible data collection.
The International Day of the Girl 2026 offers Lebanon an opportunity to connect these priorities with ongoing national and community efforts.
Every girl in Lebanon should have the opportunity to experience childhood, continue her education, obtain care, live free from violence and shape her future. Turning that commitment into reality requires sustained investment, effective protection and institutions that listen to girls and act on their rights.
Official references
- United Nations: International Day of the Girl Child
- NHRC-CPT: Protecting women’s rights and advancing equality
- NHRC-CPT: Human rights and rule-of-law challenges during conflict
- Ministry of Public Health: Partnership to raise awareness of child marriage risks
- Ministry of Public Health: Reproductive health services
- UNFPA Lebanon: “Mustaqbali Khayari” programme
- UNICEF Lebanon: QUDWA
- UNICEF: Child marriage
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