Thursday, March 3, 2016

GOOD NEWS: Burkina Faso Update

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