Mabel Van Oranje
Entrepreneur for Social Change
Working on HIV/AIDS, gender equality and ending child marriage, I have met too many young people – particularly girls – who did not have access to SRHR information and services and were denied the right to choose what happened to their own bodies. Their stories drive me to continue advocating for strengthened SRHR as a SheDecides Champion.
I believe in the power of movements. When the context is challenging – as is the case with the pushback against SRHR – it is even more important to collaborate. Being a SheDecides Champion – together with young people, government officials, CSO representatives and others – allows us to bring together our different contributions and achieve more together than we could alone.
How we are working so SheDecides
Mabel van Oranje has played a catalytic role in the global movement to end child marriage, including the creation and growth of the Girls First Fund, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage and VOW for Girls. Child marriage affects 12 million girls around the world each year and SRHR and child marriage are closely linked. Pregnancy is both a driver and a consequence of child marriage. Child brides are often under pressure to have sex at a young age – before they are emotionally ready, without information and contraception, and with many lasting impacts on girls’ lives. Supporting all girls’ SRHR is part of the prevention and response to child marriage.
