Amnesty International Midwest Regional Office
March 2, 2016
Last
Thursday, February 25th, Amnesty International received some amazing
news that the Identity and Discrimination Unit and Individuals at Risk
would like to share with you.
During
Write for Rights, you may have written a letter or taken action online
on behalf of girls forced into marriage in Burkina Faso. We’re happy to
share today that your voice was heard.
On Thursday, a press release from the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Civic Promotion in Burkina Faso confirmed that Amnesty’s demands have been heard.
The ministry plans to raise the legal age of marriage for girls to 18
years, and to ensure that forced marriage is clearly defined in Burkina
Faso’s criminal code. The ministry fully affirmed the government’s
commitment to eradicating early and forced marriage.
And
what’s more: the ministry clearly stated that this step was taken
because of pressure from correspondence received from around the world
calling for action. This win was made possible by your letters, and the action of Amnesty activists around the world.
Even with this great news, there’s still more that we can do—please take 30 seconds out of your afternoon to take action to keep up the pressure and ensure that these steps are fully implemented.
In solidarity,
Catalina Cipri
Midwest Regional Office Intern
Amnesty International USA
