A knife, sharp piece of glass, or a ring can destroy your life forever. How can something so basic like a sharp glass or a wedding ring affect young girls all around the world? This is about Target 5.3: ELIMINATE FORCED MARRIAGES AND GENITAL MUTILATION. In many countries, girls suffer from harmful practices like child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This unit presents three videos as real world examples of survivors that will give you a deeper understanding of forced and child marriage. It might be hard to listen to or watch, but we need to be aware of these terrible practices and speak out against them. If you want to know more of the hard facts, read along. If not, then head directly to the materials section! What is female genital mutilation (FGM)? -FGM are procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, World Health Organisation - The pain inflicted by FGM does not stop with the initial procedure, but often continues as ongoing torture throughout a woman’s life Manfred Nowak (UN Special Rapporteur on Torture) What is a forced marriage? A forced marriage is where one or both people do not consent (or in cases of people with learning or physical disabilities, cannot consent) to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used to force them to marry. The pressure put on people to marry against their will can be: - Physical including threats, actual physical violence and sexual violence -Emotional and psychological for example, when someone is made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family -Financial abuse including taking away their wages or not giving them any money (Heath For Teens UK)

There are a total of 9 targets for Goal#5, but we’ve selected a few main facts you should know. Browse through our list and head directly to the materials to get the perspective of children, Emma Watson and Kira Boe from Oxfam Ibis! What do women experience more than men? -Sexual violence -Sexual exploitation -Discrimination in public office -Child and forced marriage Did you know that women are affected by these situations more than men? -Climate change - Disasters - Conflict - Migration What about equal rights? Compared to men, women in the world today still don’t have the same rights or access to: -Work -Land and property -Sexual and reproductive health -Technology and the internet Can you think of others?

Sometimes, the SDGs might seem too grand for one person to make a change. Did you ever think things like, “Oh, that is not my problem” or “It doesn’t affect me or those around me, why should I care?”. Perhaps you weren’t aware of how Goal 5 impacts your world, and we hope the stories we have shared with you changed your mind. So, what can you do about gender equality? We’ve compiled the most interesting stories about how techno music festivals, soap operas, apps and sex education is working towards achieving Goal#5! Head to the materials section!